Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid is used to being in the spotlight, where he will be once again on Feb. 11 when the Chiefs meet the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII.
Now in his 25th season as an NFL head coach, Reid will be coaching in his fifth Super Bowl, meaning he has spent 20 percent of coaching tenure ending a season on the sport’s biggest stage.
Even non-NFL fans are well acquainted with Reid, who appears nationally in a State Farm commercial with his quarterback, Patrick Mahomes.
But who is Andy Reid? Where did he come from? How did he become one of the most successful head coaches in NFL history? Here are 10 important questions about the two-time Super Bowl champion head coach.
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Did Andy Reid know Taylor Swift?
Yes, Reid said he knew the international pop sensation before she knew her boyfriend, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. Reid told Tom Brady and Jim Gray on their SiriusXM podcast, “Let’s Go! with Tom Brady, Larry Fitzgerald and Jim Gray,” that he met Swift and her father, Scott, in Philadelphia.
“Yeah, listen, she’s been great,” Reid said. “I knew her from Philadelphia. Her dad played at (the University of) Delaware and was a big football fan and good guy. So I had met him there and her.”
Reid said Taylor Swift told Kelce that she and the Chiefs’ coach had previously met.
“So, that was the last thing Trav wanted to hear, that I knew her before him. She told him, ‘I know your coach.’ And he went, ‘Oh, God, come on!’”
How old is Andy Reid?
Reid, who was born on March 19, 1958, is 65 years old. If the Kansas City Chiefs win Super Bowl LVIII, Reid would become the third-oldest Super Bowl-winning head coach, behind Bruce Arians, who was 68 when his Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat Reid’s Chiefs in Super Bowl LV, and Bill Belichick, who was 66 when the New England Patriots won Super Bowl LIII.
Did Andy Reid ever play football?
Reid grew up in Los Angeles, where he attended John Marshall High School, the site of several films, including “Grease,” “La Bamba,” and “Bachelor Party.” Reid played offensive and defensive line and was also team’s kicker.
He later played offensive tackle at Glendale Community College in nearby Glendale, California, before going to BYU, where he played guard and tackle from 1979-81 and was a teammate of Super Bowl-winning quarterback Jim McMahon.
How many Super Bowl rings does Andy Reid have?
Reid has three Super Bowl rings. He’s won two as head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs — Super Bowl LIV (Kansas City 31, San Francisco 20) and in Super Bowl LVII (Kansas City 38, Philadelphia 35)— and one as an assistant offensive line and tight ends coach on Mike Holmgren’s staff with the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXI (Green Bay 35, New England 21).
What is Andy Reid’s salary?
Based on a six-year contract extension he signed in 2020, Reid is making $10 million per season.
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How many children did Andy Reid have?
Reid has five children with his wife, Tammy Reid, to whom he’s been married since 1981. They have three sons — Garrett, Britt and Spencer — and two daughters — Drew Ann and Crosby. Garrett Reid, Andy’s oldest son, died of a heroin overdose in 2012, while Britt Reid was an assistant coach on his father’s staff until he was involved in a DWI crash. His youngest son, Spencer, is a strength coach for the Chiefs.
Is Andy Reid retiring from the NFL?
There’s been speculation that Reid could retire after Super Bowl LVIII, even with rumors that Bill Belichick could replace him, but Reid hasn’t discussed his future. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported before the AFC Championship Game that Reid is “not thinking about walking away.” If Reid is planning to retire, the earliest he’s likely to announce it at postgame press conference for Super Bowl LVIII.
When did Andy Reid start coaching?
After he graduated from BYU, Reid became a graduate assistant on LaVell Edwards’ staff, one that also included another Super Bowl-winning coach, Mike Holmgren, and longtime college coach Norm Chow. From there, Reid went on to become the offensive line coach at four different schools — San Francisco State, Northern Arizona, UTEP, and Missouri.
How did Andy Reid land his first NFL head coaching job?
When Holmgren became head coach of the Green Bay Packers in 1992, he hired Reid to join his staff as an offensive line and tight ends coach. With Brett Favre at quarterback, the Packers won Super Bowl XXXI, and Reid was promoted to assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach after the former QB coach, Marty Mornhinweg, was hired as offensive coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers.
Even though Reid had never served as either an offensive or defensive coordinator, Reid interviewed with the Philadelphia Eagles and was hired as their head coach in 1999. At 40, Reid became the league’s second-youngest head coach behind Jon Gruden. Two years later, Reid was promoted to executive vice president of football operations.
Over 14 seasons, Reid led the Eagles to nine playoff appearances, six NFC East titles, five NFC Championship Games and one Super Bowl, which they lost to the New England Patriots, 24-21, in Super Bowl XXXIX.
Can Andy Reid break any records in Super Bowl LVIII?
Reid isn’t on the cusp or breaking or tying any coaching records, but here are some of his notable coaching achievements.
- Super Bowl LVIII will be Reid’s fifth Super Bowl, tying him with Tom Landry for the third-most all-time. Only Bill Belichick (9) and Don Shula (6) have more.
- If the Chiefs win, it would be Reid’s third Super Bowl victory, tying him with Bill Walsh and Joe Gibbs for third place on the all-time list behind Bill Belichick (9) and Chuck Noll (4).
- Reid is already one of seven head coaches to guide two different teams to the Super Bowl.
- His 15 years between Super Bowl appearances is the second-longest, behind only Dick Vermeil (19 years).
- Reid is tied with Belichick and Shula for the most playoff appearances (19).
- He is second to Belichick all-time in playoff games coached (41) and playoff wins (25).
- Reid is fourth all-time with 258 regular-season victories and is the only coach in NFL history to win 100 regular-season games and 10 postseason games with two different franchises and the only one to take two different teams to four straight conference title games.