Redskins hire Zorn as head coach

Redskins hire Zorn as head coach

Jim Zorn has been named Head Coach of the Washington Redskins, succeeding Hall of Fame Coach Joe Gibbs, who retired Jan. 8.

Zorn, who signed a five-year contract with the team, spent seven seasons as quarterbacks coach for the Seattle Seahawks under Head Coach Mike Holmgren, where they shared in playoff trips for the past five seasons and one Super Bowl appearance.  His elevation to head coach at the Redskins adds his name to Holmgren’s “family tree” of quarterback coaches who moved into the head coaching ranks, joining Andy Reid (directly from quarterback coach to the Eagles head coach), Jon Gruden, Marty Morninweg, and Steve Mariucci.  Holmgren’s tree also includes Jim Mora, Dick Jauron, Ray Rhodes, and Mike Sherman.

Zorn broke into the National Football League in 1976 as the first quarterback for the expansion Seahawks, starting all 14 games and earning Rookie of the Year honors.  He went on to play nine seasons for the team, then one year each with the Green Bay Packers, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the CFL and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before retiring in 1987.

The Redskins began their search for a new coach on Jan. 9, following Gibbs’ decision to retire.  Snyder, Executive Vice President for Football Operations Vinny Cerrato, and other team officials evaluated more than 50 potential candidates for the head coaching job over two days and selected 10 for interviews, which began Jan. 10.

Zorn began his NFL coaching career following nine years as a quarterbacks coach or offensive coordinator at Boise State, Utah State and the University of Minnesota.  He joined the Seahawks in 1997 as an offensive assistant.  The next season he moved to the Detroit Lions as quarterbacks coach, where he was instrumental in the development of rookie quarterback Charlie Batch.  In his rookie season, Batch’s 88.3 passer rating ranks as the fourth-highest rookie mark in NFL history.

Holmgren brought Zorn to the Seahawks as quarterbacks coach in 2001, where he coached current Seahawk quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, Trent Dilfer and Brock Huard.  In 2002, Dilfer began the season as the starter, with Hasselbeck stepping in to complete the season.  That year, Seattle’s passing attack ranked third in the NFL and Hasselbeck finished the season ranked first in the NFC with a 63.7 completion percentage and second in the NFC with a 87.8 passer rating.

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