Dale Lindsey
Encyclopedia
Phillip Dale Lindsey is a former American football
linebacker
and coach
in the National Football League
. He also spent time as a coach in the Canadian Football League
and the United States Football League
. He is currently the defensive coordinator for New Mexico State
.
at Bowling Green High School in Bowling Green, Kentucky
, where he was an All-State player.
, where he was part of the infamous Thin Thirty
team, but quit the team in the spring of his freshman year. He then transferred to Western Kentucky University
, where he starred on WKU's undefeated 1963 team that won the Tangerine Bowl.
in the seventh round of the 1965 NFL Draft
by the Cleveland Browns
, where he played from 1965
to 1972
. He then signed with the New Orleans Saints
in 1973
.
, New England Patriots
, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
, San Diego Chargers
, Washington Redskins
, Chicago Bears
and the San Diego Chargers
. He was also a coach for the Toronto Argonauts
of the Canadian Football League
and the Boston Breakers
and the New Jersey Generals
of the United States Football League
.
In 1988, Coach Lindsey joined Forrest Gregg
at SMU
. As the Defensive Coordinator, he helped to revitalize the historic SMU football program after the NCAA executed its one and only death penalty for a college football program. Based upon the devastation of this cruel and unusual penalty, the NCAA spared the Florida Gators
, the next program whose violations warranted the penalty. During the 1989 season, SMU's first season back after 1987, Coach Lindsey's defense was instrumental in SMU's wins over UConn and North Texas
.
He was terminated as the linebackers coach
for the Washington Redskins
on January 16, 2007. This was his second stint with Washington. He was one of several former NFL coordinators serving as a position coach on the Redskins' coach staff.
Lindsey had a reputation with the Redskins as a tough coach. His feud with LaVar Arrington
during the 2005 season led to Arrington's release and subsequent signing with the New York Giants
.
Lindsey, now a resident of San Diego, California
, lost his home in the wildfires of October 2007.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
and coach
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He also spent time as a coach in the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
and the United States Football League
United States Football League
The United States Football League was an American football league which was in active operation from 1983 to 1987. It played a spring/summer schedule in its first three seasons and a traditional autumn/winter schedule was set to commence before league operations ceased.The USFL was conceived in...
. He is currently the defensive coordinator for New Mexico State
New Mexico State Aggies football
The New Mexico State Aggies football team represents New Mexico State University in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football competition as a member of the Western Athletic Conference ....
.
Early life
Lindsey attended and played high school footballHigh school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
at Bowling Green High School in Bowling Green, Kentucky
Bowling Green, Kentucky
Bowling Green is the third-most populous city in the state of Kentucky after Louisville and Lexington, with a population of 58,067 as of the 2010 Census. It is the county seat of Warren County and the principal city of the Bowling Green, Kentucky Metropolitan Statistical Area with an estimated 2009...
, where he was an All-State player.
College career
After high school, Lindsey signed with the University of KentuckyUniversity of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
, where he was part of the infamous Thin Thirty
Thin Thirty
The Thin Thirty refers to the 1962 football team at the University of Kentucky. Coached by Charlie Bradshaw, a Bear Bryant disciple, the team was thinned by his brutal methods from 88 players to just 30. While the team's record was just 3-5-2, it did include a dramatic victory in the season finale...
team, but quit the team in the spring of his freshman year. He then transferred to Western Kentucky University
Western Kentucky University
Western Kentucky University is a public university in Bowling Green, Kentucky, USA. It was formally founded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1906, though its roots reach back a quarter-century earlier....
, where he starred on WKU's undefeated 1963 team that won the Tangerine Bowl.
As a player
Lindsey was draftedNFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
in the seventh round of the 1965 NFL Draft
1965 NFL Draft
The 1965 National Football League Draft took place on November 28, 1964. The first player selected was Tucker Frederickson, back from Auburn, by the New York Giants. The draft was marked by the failure of the St...
by the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, where he played from 1965
1965 NFL season
The 1965 NFL season was the 46th regular season of the National Football League.Because the Green Bay Packers and Baltimore Colts ended up tied in the Western Conference standings after the regular season ended, a conference playoff game was held in Green Bay. Although the Packers had defeated the...
to 1972
1972 NFL season
The 1972 NFL season was the 53rd regular season of the National Football League. The Miami Dolphins became the first NFL team to finish a championship season undefeated and untied when they beat the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl VII.-Major rule changes:...
. He then signed with the New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
in 1973
1973 NFL season
The 1973 NFL season was the 54th regular season of the National Football League. The season featured O.J. Simpson becoming the first man to rush for 2,000 yards in one season...
.
As a coach
After his playing career, Lindsey was a coach for several different NFL teams, including the Green Bay PackersGreen Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
, New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
, San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
, Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
and the San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He was also a coach for the Toronto Argonauts
Toronto Argonauts
The Toronto Argonauts are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League. The Toronto, Ontario based team was founded in 1873 and is one of the oldest existing professional sports teams in North America, after the Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta...
of the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
and the Boston Breakers
Portland Breakers
The Portland Breakers were a professional American Football team that played in the United States Football League in the mid 1980s. Before moving to Portland, Oregon, the franchise was previously in Boston, Massachusetts as the Boston Breakers and New Orleans, Louisiana as the New Orleans...
and the New Jersey Generals
New Jersey Generals
The New Jersey Generals were a franchise of the United States Football League established in 1982 to begin play in the spring and summer of 1983. The team played three seasons from 1983-85, winning 31 regular-season games and losing 25 while going 0-2 in postseason competition...
of the United States Football League
United States Football League
The United States Football League was an American football league which was in active operation from 1983 to 1987. It played a spring/summer schedule in its first three seasons and a traditional autumn/winter schedule was set to commence before league operations ceased.The USFL was conceived in...
.
In 1988, Coach Lindsey joined Forrest Gregg
Forrest Gregg
Alvis Forrest Gregg is a former American football player and coach in the National Football League. During a Pro Football Hall of Fame playing career, he was a part of six championships, five of them with the Green Bay Packers before closing out his tenure with the Dallas Cowboys with a win in...
at SMU
SMU
SMU may stand for:*Southern Methodist University in University Park, Texas, USA**SMU Mustangs, the athletic program of the above school*St. Martin's University in Lacey, Washington, USA*Saint Mary's University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada...
. As the Defensive Coordinator, he helped to revitalize the historic SMU football program after the NCAA executed its one and only death penalty for a college football program. Based upon the devastation of this cruel and unusual penalty, the NCAA spared the Florida Gators
Florida Gators
The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The "Lady Gators" is an alternative nickname sometimes used by the Gators women's teams...
, the next program whose violations warranted the penalty. During the 1989 season, SMU's first season back after 1987, Coach Lindsey's defense was instrumental in SMU's wins over UConn and North Texas
North Texas
North Texas is a distinct cultural and geographic area forming the central-northeastern section of the U.S. state of Texas. North Texas is generally considered to include the area south of Oklahoma, east of Abilene, and north of Waco...
.
He was terminated as the linebackers coach
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
for the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
on January 16, 2007. This was his second stint with Washington. He was one of several former NFL coordinators serving as a position coach on the Redskins' coach staff.
Lindsey had a reputation with the Redskins as a tough coach. His feud with LaVar Arrington
LaVar Arrington
LaVar RaShad Arrington is a former American football linebacker of the National Football League. He was drafted second overall by the Washington Redskins in the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at Penn State for coach Joe Paterno.A two-time All-American at Penn State, Arrington played...
during the 2005 season led to Arrington's release and subsequent signing with the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
Lindsey, now a resident of San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, lost his home in the wildfires of October 2007.