On Jan. 20, 2021 the Detroit Lions named Dan Campbell the franchise's new head coach.
Campbell possesses 25 years of NFL experience, including 14 years as a coach and 11 as a player. In his first year as the Lions' head coach, Campbell helped instill a new culture built on grit, conviction and collaboration on and off the field. Upon arrival, Campbell assembled a proven coaching staff comprised of several former NFL players that have brought a wealth of knowledge and passion to Detroit's roster.
In his third year at the helm, Campbell directed the Lions to a historic season, finishing the regular season with a 12-5 record, tying the single-season franchise record for wins in a season. The team went on to clinch their first division championship since 1993 and advance to their first NFC Championship since 1991. Rooted in a culture based on resilience, Detroit did not lose consecutive games within a single season for the first time since 1972. The team won four prime-time games, their most ever in a single-season, and won multiple playoff games in the same year for the first time in the Super Bowl era.
After claiming the NFC North title, Campbell's team capitalized on a postseason run built on homefield advantage, leading to the first time the Lions hosted multiple playoff games in the same season. Detroit secured its first playoff win since the 1991 season after beating the Los Angeles Rams, 24-23, in the Wild Card Round, and defeating the Buccaneers, 31-23, in the Divisional Round. Campbell is just the third coach in team history to win multiple playoff games, joining George Wilson (1957) and Buddy Parker (1953-53).
Campbell's strong leadership and team performance led him to be named as a finalist for the AP Coach of the Year Award. Within his team's success were a string of individual accolades, as seven players earned Pro Bowl status (C Frank Ragnow, T Penei Sewell, DL Aidan Hutchinson, LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin, TE Sam LaPorta, WR Amon-Ra St. Brown and RB Jahmyr Gibbs) and five earned AP All-Pro honors (First Team: T Penei Sewell and WR Amon-Ra St. Brown; Second Team: C Frank Ragnow, TE Sam LaPorta and LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin). Additionally, rookie standouts RB Jahmyr Gibbs and TE Sam LaPorta were named finalists for AP Offensive Rookie of the Year. Campbell's staff continued to earn praise as Offensive Coordinator Ben Johnson was named a finalist for the AP Assistant Coach of the Year Award for the second consecutive year.
In 2022, Campbell's Lions overcame a 1-6 start to finish 8-2 in the final 10 games of the season. Detroit finished with a 9-8 record overall, capped off by a 20-16 win at Green Bay on Sunday Night Football to eliminate the Packers from playoff contention. Offensively, the Lions ranked in the top 5 in several League categories in 2022, including total net yards (3rd, 6,460), total touchdowns scored (4th, 54), fewest turnovers (1st, 15), points scored (5th, 453) and 30-point games (T-1st, 8). On defense, the Lions set an NFL record for sacks by rookies (20.5). The Lions' 2022 defensive rookie class also ranked atop several League categories for 2022 – including second in rookie interceptions (7) and first in rookie tackles for loss (26).
Under Campbell's leadership in 2022 four Lions players were named to the Pro Bowl – QB Jared Goff, C Frank Ragnow, T Penei Sewell and WR Amon-Ra St. Brown. Six different players earned NFC Player of The Week Awards (WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, K Michael Badgley, S Kerby Joseph, WR Kalif Raymond, DL Aidan Hutchinson, RB Jamaal Williams), with Raymond also earning AP Second Team All-Pro honors as a punt returner. Campbell's staff also received accolades in 2022, as Offensive Coordinator Ben Johnson was named a finalist for the AP Assistant Coach of the Year Award.
With one of the NFL's youngest rosters in 2021, 85 players saw the field for the Lions in Campbell's first season at the helm, which tied for the third most in the NFL behind the Jets (87) and Titans (91). In 2021, 10 different Lions rookies started a combined 66 games, and the Lions featured at least one rookie player on 100 percent of offensive snaps. The leadership from Campbell and the coaching staff resulted in consistent player development, as the Lions finished the season winning three of their final six games of the season – including a 30-12 statement win over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 15 and a 37-30 win over rival Green Bay in Week 18.
In their first three years together, Campbell and Executive Vice President and General Manager Brad Holmes have emphasized building through the Draft as the foundational identity of the team. The pair assembled what became one of the most historically productive Draft classes in franchise history in the 2023 Draft. Jahmyr Gibbs (first round) and Sam LaPorta (second round) became the NFL's first set of rookie teammates to each produce 10 touchdowns in a season. Jack Campbell (first round) and Brian Branch (second round) became regular starters on the defensive side as well.
The 2023 class complemented the previous Campbell-Holmes draft selections such as Sewell (first round, 2021), Alim McNeill (third round, 2021), St. Brown (fourth round, 2021), Hutchinson (first round, 2022) and Joseph (third round, 2022) who have emerged as young leaders on the team. Veterans S Tracy Walker, LB Alex Anzalone, Raymond and Ragnow have also received contract extensions under Campbell and Holmes' tenure.
Prior to becoming the head coach in Detroit, Campbell served as the assistant head coach/tight ends coach for the New Orleans Saints from 2016 – 2020. During the span of his five-year coaching tenure with New Orleans, the club captured four NFC South division titles, ranked first in the NFL in points scored (2,361), touchdowns (277), net yardage (31,147) and posted the third-most wins (56) in the League.
In 2019, Campbell helped coach TE Jared Cook to a Pro Bowl berth in Cook's first season with the Saints. Cook established a career-high average for yards per reception (16.4) that season under Campbell, while fellow TE Josh Hill posted a career-high 25 receptions for 226 yards and three touchdowns. During the 2017 season, Campbell's group saw three different players make starts at tight end, while still helping produce the NFL's fifth-best rushing offense.
In 2015, Campbell became the Miami Dolphins' interim head coach following organizational changes, where he took over a 1-3 team that had lost three consecutive contests and immediately helped the team win its first two games under his leadership. The Dolphins finished 5-7 under Campbell that season, including a 20-10 win over the New England Patriots in the season finale. Under Campbell, Miami improved eight spots in the NFL's rushing yards per game rankings and saw five Dolphins selected to the Pro Bowl in 2015. Additionally, QB Ryan Tannehill became the first Dolphins signal-caller to pass for at least 4,000 yards in consecutive seasons since Dan Marino (1984-86). Prior to taking over interim duties with the Dolphins, Campbell was responsible for mentoring Miami's tight ends unit dating back to 2011, after initially joining the Dolphins in 2010 as a coaching intern.
Campbell entered the NFL coaching ranks following an 11-year playing career with the New York Giants (1999-2002), Dallas Cowboys (2003-05), Detroit Lions (2006-08) and New Orleans Saints (2009). A third-round selection by the Giants in the 1999 NFL Draft, the former tight end appeared in 114 total career games (76 starts) and caught 91 passes for 934 yards and 11 touchdowns. He was a member of the Giants team that appeared in Super Bowl XXXV following the 2001 season. In his first year as a player with the Lions in 2006, Campbell posted career-highs in receiving yards (308), yards per reception (14.7) and touchdowns (four).
As the 28th head coach in franchise history, Campbell is also the fifth former Lions player to be named full-time head coach for the team and the first since Joe Schmidt, who played for Detroit from 1953-65 and served as head coach from 1967-72.
A Clifton, Texas native, Campbell attended Texas A&M, where he was a four-year letterman for the Aggies and majored in agricultural development. Campbell and his wife, Holly, have a son, Cody, and a daughter, Piper.
