January 24, 2022
TEMPE, Ariz.—On a coaching staff thatalready features former NFL head coach and defensive guru Marvin Lewis as a Special Assistant To The Head Coach, Head Coach Herm Edwards added another legendary name to his coaching roster today in Super Bowl XXXV (2001) Champion Head Coach Brian Billick. Billick joins the Sun Devil staff as an Offensive Analyst and Advisor To The Head Coach.
“I am pleased to announce to Sun Devil fans that Brian Billick has accepted the position as Offensive Analyst, Advisor To The Head Coach, on my staff at Arizona State University,” says Edwards. “I have known Brian since the 1980s and he is a person whom I completely trust. He has built one of the finest reputations the NFL has ever known, serving as a head coach, an assistant coach and as a respected television analyst. Brian has one of the brightest offensive minds in football today and that is especially why I hired him. He will serve as a valuable resource to our entire coaching staff, but specifically to our offensive staff.”
Billick is known for his brilliant offensive mind, one that he enhanced while learning under Bill Walsh, perhaps the most innovative offensive minds in the history of the NFL. Billick used the knowledge gleaned from Walsh to form one of the most famous offensive reputations in the modern-day NFL.
“I have known Coach Edwards for over 40 years and both Ray Anderson and Marvin Lewis for almost that long,” says Billick. “I was working the Hula Bowl two weeks ago with Mike Smith and ASU reached out to me at that time. I really enjoyed tapping into the players there and helping them to highlight their abilities. They proposed this opportunity to me, to have another set of eyes looking at and evaluating Sun Devil football and I thought it was the right time for me to make this move. I love what they are doing at ASU. It’s all about structure in the NFL and hopefully that’s what I can bring to the table at ASU. My work for the last 12 years in television at Fox and the NFL Network has allowed me to take a step back and see the game from a different angle. It broadened my perspective and that is what I will bring to this position.”
“I’ve known Brian for over 20 years and I am confident that his presence at ASU as an Offensive Analyst and contributions as an Advisor to Herm will add great value to our program,” says Ray Anderson, ASU Vice President for University Athletics.
The current NFL Network analyst coached in the NFL and college football from 1977 to 2007, finishing his career as the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens. He became the second head coach of the Ravens from 1999 until the 2007 season, during which time the Ravens went 85-67 over nine seasons. Billick made four playoff appearances while at the helm in Baltimore. In his first season with the Ravens, Billick led the team to its first non-losing record (8-8) in the franchise’s young four-year history.
In 2000, the Ravens won the Super Bowl against the New York Giants 34-7 thanks to a legendary defense. Under the tutelage of Billick and current Sun Devil Special Assistant to the Head Coach Marvin Lewis, Baltimore allowed an NFL-record low 165 points during the course of the season. They also led the league in turnover differential at plus-23. He was inducted into the Raven’s Ring of Honor in 2019.
An expert motivator, NFL coach and strategist, for over 30 years Brian Billick has demonstrated an exceptional ability to take individual players to their highest potential. Known as a developer of not only his players, but also his coaches, Billick has quite the extensive coaching tree. During his time as head coach, nine assistant coaches, (Jack Del Rio, Marvin Lewis, Rex Ryan, Mike Smith, Vic Fangio, Mike Nolan, Mike Pettine, David Shaw and Mike Singletary) on his coaching staff were hired as head coaches across the league and college football.
He has coached and helped mold some of the game’s most legendary figures, including Sun Devil and state of Arizona legends Randall McDaniel, Terrell Suggs and Todd Heap, as well as Randy Moss, Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Randall Cunningham, Warren Moon, Cris Carter and many other impactful players.
Billick broke into the NFL when he was hired as an Assistant coach by the Minnesota Vikings. In 1994 he was named offensive coordinator. The Vikings made the playoffs during six of the seven seasons (1992–1998) that Billick spent with the team, and set several offensive records in the process. In 1998, Minnesota set an NFL record for most points scored in a season (556) (which has since been broken by the 2007 Patriots and the 2013 Broncos), and set a team record with 41 touchdown passes.
Following his illustrious NFL coaching career, Billick worked as a studio analyst at ABC Sports and as a draft analyst for NFL Network. He then became a game analyst for The NFL on Fox. At NFL Network he appeared on The Coaches Show and on Playbook. He also served as an analyst on NFL Network’s signature show NFL Total Access. He also appeared regularly on ESPN’s Mike and Mike in the Morning.
His first full-time coaching job was with San Diego State, as the tight ends and receivers coach and recruiting coordinator for five seasons (1981–1985). After being named the offensive coordinator at Utah State, Billick improved the second-worst offense in Division I-A into a top-10 offense in only three seasons (1986–1988). Billick was hired as the tight ends coach at Stanford by Dennis Green, serving both roles for three seasons (1989–91). His work under Green put Billick in the Bill Walsh coaching tree.
In his first taste of the Division I level, Billick worked as a graduate assistant at Brigham Young for one season (1978) before joining the 49ers as the assistant director of public relations for two years (1979–1980).
Following an NFL stint, Billick returned to his hometown of Redlands, California to start his coaching career, serving as a volunteer wide receivers coach for the University of Redlands (NAIA) in 1977.
After spending his freshman season as a linebacker at the Air Force Academy, Billick transferred to BYU and became a tight end. He received All-Western Athletic Conference and honorable mention All-America honors in 1976. Billick was selected in the 11th round of the 1977 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers but was cut by the 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys, and never played in the NFL.
Billick played football and basketball at Redlands High School in Redlands, California and had his No 17 jersey retired by the school in 2001. He played both quarterback and cornerback there and holds the state record with 21 career interceptions.
Billick has also enjoyed success as a public speaker, delivering his message and impacting lives long past his coaching career. He has parlayed his accomplished coaching career and vast knowledge of the game of football into a tremendous run as a broadcaster, featured on various networks since 2008.
He is an accomplished author with five published book titles, including “Bill Walsh: Finding the Winning Edge,” “Developing An Offensive Game Plan,” “More Than A Game,” “Competitive Leadership,” and “The Q Factor.”
Billick and his wife Kim have two daughters, Aubree and Keegan.
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