- Russ Grimm
Infobox NFLretired
Color=#990000
fontcolor=#FFFFFF
|width=250px
caption=Grimm (left) withAlan Faneca
position=Guard
number=68
birthdate=birth date and age|1959|5|2Scottdale, Pennsylvania
deathdate=
debutyear=1981
finalyear=1991
draftyear=1981
draftround=3
draftpick=69
college=Pittsburgh
teams=As Player
*Washington Redskins (1981-1991)As Coach
* Washington Redskins (1992-2000)
*Pittsburgh Steelers (2000-2006)
*Arizona Cardinals (2007-present)
stat1label=Games played
stat1value=140
stat2label=Games Started
stat2value=114
stat3label=Fumble recoveries
stat3value=7
nfl=GRI773916
highlights=
* 4xPro Bowl selection (1983, 1984, 1985, 1986)
* 5xAll-Pro selection (1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986)
*NFL 1980s All-Decade Team
* 70 Greatest Redskins
HOF=
CollegeHOF=Russell Scott Grimm (born
May 2 ,1959 in Scottdale,Pennsylvania ) is a formerAmerican football Pro Bowl guard for theWashington Redskins of theNational Football League . He was also anAll-America n center at theUniversity of Pittsburgh Grimm played 11 seasons for the Redskins and was a first team selection to theNFL 1980s All-Decade Team . He is currently the assistant head coach and offensive line coach for theArizona Cardinals .Grimm is featured in the video game
All-Pro Football 2K8 . [cite web
title = All-Pro Football 2K8
url = http://2ksports.com/games/football2k8/
accessdate = 2007-06-18 ]NFL Playing Career
He was drafted in the third round by the Redskins in the
1981 NFL Draft . Along withJeff Bostic ,Mark May ,George Starke andJoe Jacoby , Russ Grimm was a founding member of the Redskins' renowned "Hogs" offensive line of the 1980s and early 1990s (deemed one of the best front fives of NFL history), which was a mainstay of the Redskins' glory years during the firstJoe Gibbs era.During his 11 seasons as the Redskins' starting guard, Russ Grimm helped lead his team to 4
Super Bowl appearances and 3 Super Bowl victories (Super Bowl XVII in 1983,Super Bowl XXII in 1988, andSuper Bowl XXVI in 1992). Along the way, Grimm was selected to 4 consecutivePro Bowl appearances (1983 through 1986). He was named an All-Pro in each of those years as well.According to Mark May, a teammate both at Pittsburgh and on the Redskins, no one lived up to the "Hog" persona more than Grimm: "He was a blue collar stiff and proud of it." In his 2005 memoir, May recalled a Christmas party at his house in 1982: "I iced down a keg of beer and stationed it on the landing between the first floor and basement. Russ turned the landing into his headquarters for the evening. He grabbed a chair and a Hog shot glass (a 60-ounce pitcher) and parked his butt on the landing next to the keg. Except for an occasional trip to the bathroom, we didn't see Russ on the first level all night..." [ Mark May with Dan O'Brien, "Tales from the Washington Redskins." Champaign, Illinois: Sports Publishing LLC, 2005.]
Grimm was a semifinalist for the
Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004, and a finalist in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008.NFL Coaching Career
After hanging up his player's cleats, Grimm returned to the Redskins as a
tight end coach (from 1992 through 1996, andoffensive line coach from 1997 through 2000, during which he was instrumental in the development of tacklesChris Samuels andJon Jansen . After his coaching stint with the Redskins, Grimm joined thePittsburgh Steelers as offensive line coach in September 2000. In 2004 he was promoted to Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Line.In 2004, after the
Chicago Bears firedDick Jauron , Bears management considered Grimm as a top candidate for the job. The job eventually went to thenSt. Louis Rams defensive coordinatorLovie Smith .In 2005, Grimm added another
Super Bowl ring (totalling 4) to his resumé as part of the Pittsburgh Steelers' coaching staff (Offensive Line Coach).Under Grimm guidance in 2005, theSuper Bowl champion Steelers averaged nearly 140 yards rushing per game during the regular season to rank fifth in the NFL while also grinding out 181 rushing yards in their [Super Bowl XL victory over the Seattle Seahawks. In 2006 Steelers offensive line helped pave the way for running backWillie Parker to gain 1,494 yards and 13 touchdowns on 337 carries with 4.4 yard avg. and earn his first Pro Bowl selection. Pittsburgh offense finished the 2006 season with the 10th best rushing attack in the NFL, helping to give the Steelers the 7th ranked total offense in the league. Parker finished the season with the second and third top rushing performances of the year in the NFL with 223 rushing yards 32 att., TD againstCleveland Browns and 213 yards with 22 att, 2 TD vs.New Orleans Saints .On
January 5 , 2007,Bill Cowher resigned as head coach of the Steelers. In the press conference that followed, Steeler's President Art Rooney II announced Russ Grimm as one of the candidates for the job. On January 15th] , 2007, he was named as a finalist for the job along withKen Whisenhunt andMike Tomlin . The Steelers would end up hiring Tomlin as their head coach. Shortly thereafter, Grimm was hired by the Arizona Cardinals to serve as their assistant head coach/offensive line coach. In Arizona, he serves under head coachKen Whisenhunt who Grimm worked with under Bill Cowher in Pittsburgh.In his first 2007, Arizona his offensive line allowed only 24 sacks , 6th best in the NFL and the fewest given up by the Cardinals since 1978 with 22. Grimm’s offensive line also paved the way for running backEdgerrin James to rush for 1,222 yards, the fifth best total in team history. The Cardinals offense finished with the 5th best passing attack in the NFL and threw for a team record 32 touchdowns.References
Eternal Links
* [http://azcardinals.com/team/staff_detail.php?PRKey=163 Arizona Cardinals Coaching Profile]
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