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Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay is taking the NFL by storm in his first two seasons. Not only is he the youngest NFL head coach of all time, but now front offices across the league seem enamored with finding the next McVay, who is viewed as an innovative offensive mind.
Perhaps no one could have predicted McVay’s quick rise through the coaching ranks that saw him jump from assistant wide receivers coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in his early twenties to 30-year-old head coach less than 10 years later.
Like many NFL coaches and players, football runs through the McVay family. His father, Tim, was a good safety at Indiana University in the mid-1970s. And Sean’s grandfather John coached teams at the high school, collegiate, and professional levels over a 35-plus year career.
Take a look at John McVay’s rise through the coaching and football administrative ranks.
John McVay Worked His Way Up From Successful High School Coach to Helming the New York Giants
In 1956, McVay coached at Franklin High School in Franklin, OH. From 1957 to 1961, McVay coached the Central Catholic High School Crusaders of Perry Township, OH. During his tenure, the Crusaders posted an impressive 41-7-2 record, though they didn’t win a state championship.
McVay went on to work as an assistant coach at Michigan State for three seasons before taking the head coaching job at the University of Dayton in 1965. In his second season with the Flyers, he led the program to an 8-2 record. He coached at Dayton for eight years total.
In 1974, he joined took the head coaching job for the Memphis Southmen, one of the teams in the fledgling World Football League (WFL). He led the Southmen to a 17-3 record. The Southmen lost in the semi-finals to the Florida Blazers. In the shortened 1975 season — the final season of the WFL — McVay coached the Southmen to a 7-4 record.
After the WFL folded, McVay took an assistant coaching job with the New York Giants. When head coach Bill Arnsparger was fired after an 0-7 start to the 1976 season, McVay took over head coaching duties, finishing the season with a 3-4 head coaching record.
McVay coached the struggling Giants for two more seasons, finishing 5-9 in 1977 and 6-10 in 1978.
Most Recently, John McVay Worked in the San Francisco 49ers Front Office
From 1980 to 1994, McVay worked in the San Fransisco 49ers front office during the team’s great run that produced five Super Bowl victories. From 1980 to 1994, he was the VP and won NFL Executive of the Year honors in 1989. McVay served in a different role in 1995 before retiring in 1996. He made a brief comeback in the 1998 as interim general manager of the 49ers.
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