The Memphis Showboats will have their head coach after all as Pro Football Newsroom reporter James Larson confirmed through multiple sources that Ken Whisenhunt is back coaching the Memphis Showboats as they prepare to face the D.C. Defenders on Saturday at 8 pm on ABC.
Ken Whisenhunt is 63 years old and is from Augusta, Georgia. He was named the Memphis Showboats head coach on September 24, 2024. Whisenhunt took a leave of absence last week and offensive lineman coach Jim Turner stepped in when the Memphis Showboats lost to the Michigan Panthers 26-12.
Whisenhunt played college football at Georgia Tech where he was a two-time First Team All-ACC as a tight end and Honorable Mention in 1984.
He began his coaching career at Vanderbilt for two seasons as the team’s Special teams, tight ends, and H-backs coach. He moved to the NFL in 1997 as the tight end coach of the Baltimore Ravens. He spent two seasons in Baltimore before taking the same position with the Cleveland Browns in 1999 and later as a Special teams coach with the New York Jets in 2000.
In 2001, Whisenhunt joined the Pittsburgh Steelers as a tight end coach. He would spend six seasons in Pittsburgh including three seasons as an offensive coordinator. In 2005, Pittsburgh’s offense had 2,926 yards passing and 2,223 yards rushing leading them to an 11-5 record and went on to win Super Bowl XL over the Seattle Seahawks.
The Super Bowl win earned Whisenhunt a head coaching gig with the Arizona Cardinals in 2007. In 2008, the Cardinals finished 9-7 winning the NFC West. Arizona had 4,674 passing yards, 1,178 yards rushing, and 46 touchdowns leading the Cardinals to its first-ever Super Bowl in Super Bowl 43 where they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-23.
Whisenhunt spent six seasons as Arizona’s head coach finishing with a 45-51 record (.469 AVG), and six playoff appearances (4-2). Then, Whisenhunt would spend two seasons as the head coach of the Tennessee Titans (2014-15) with a 3-20 record (.130 AVG).
After Tennessee, Whisenhunt became the Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator from 2016-19. He would return to college as an offensive analyst for Penn State in 2021, and a special assistant to the head coach at Alabama in 2023.
