The Sickos Committee explores Journeyman Coaches - Part 8 - Kevin Steele

At the Sickos Committee, we tend to find ourselves digging through Wikipedia looking for weird and niche information. One of our favorite past times is to look at Journeyman coaches and just go through their stops in their careers while trying to figure out how and why they took this path in their playing and coaching careers. Follow us on our many deep dives where we try to find “Where in the world is this coach??”

Kevin Steele Playing Career

Kevin grew up in Dillon, South Carolina and ventured over to Furman to play linebacker for the Paladins.

We totally beveled the Furman Logo because their university initials are F U.

After one year he transferred to the University of Tennessee to finish his college playing career. For the playing career of Kevin Steele, you’d have to drive 6 hours and 4 minutes for a total of 378 miles.

Kevin Steele’s Coaching Journey Begins

Kevin was able to land a job with Tennessee as a student assistant, then graduate assistant and upgraded to Outside Linebackers coach from 1980 - 1982. Kevin then landed his first Linebackers coaching gig in Las Cruces, New Mexico at New Mexico State in 1983. After a year, Kevin then ventured to Stillwater, Oklahoma and was the Linebackers and Tight Ends coach from 1984-1986. Then he returned to Knoxville as the Defensive Backs coach from 1987-1988. Tom Osborne called Kevin to become the Linebackers coach for the Huskers from 1989-1994. 

For this leg of Kevin Steele’s coaching career, you’d have to drive 59 hours and 4,042 miles. 

Kevin Steele to the NFL and then he finds his first Head Coaching job. 

The NFL Expansion franchise of the Carolina Panthers called Kevin to Charlotte to become their Linebackers coach from 1995-1998. A famous incident with Hall of Fame Linebacker Kevin Greene occurred when Greene grabbed Steele’s clothing in a dust up on the sidelines near the end of the 1998 season. Steele then left Carolina after landing his first Head Coaching job at Baylor in 1999. A dismal tenure occurred as Steele went 9-36 and only won 1 game in the Big XII Conference as a Head Coach. After the disappointing Baylor tenure, Kevin found himself as the Linebackers coach under Bobby Bowden at Florida State from 2003-2006. In 2007, Nick Saban hired him for his first Defensive Coordinator job at Alabama from 2007-2008. 

For this leg of Kevin Steele’s coaching career, you’d have to drive 52 hours and 3,423 miles. 

Kevin Steele - The Journeyman’s Recent Chapter

Kevin hopped over to Clemson to be the Defensive Coordinator from 2009 - 2011. 

Kevin took a year off from coaching in 2012.

Steele then returned to Alabama in 2013 as the Director of Player Personnel and then Linebackers Coach in 2014. In 2015, he made his way to Baton Rouge as Defensive Coordinator for one year. In 2016, Kevin was then hired at Auburn as the Defensive Coordinator and stayed there in 2020. Auburn Head Coach Gus Malzhan was fired and Kevin Steele was named Interim Head Coach for the Citrus Bowl. Auburn lost to Northwestern causing Kevin’s Head Coaching record to drop to 9-37. In 2021, Kevin was hired at Tennessee as Interim head Coach for 10 days between Jeremy Pruitt's firing and Josh Heupel's hiring. Kevin then made his way down to Miami in 2022 to become the Defensive Coordinator for the Hurricanes. However, in 2023, Nick Saban called him back to Alabama to become the Defensive Coordinator for the Crimson Tide again. 

For this leg of Kevin Steele’s coaching career, you’d have to drive 51 hours and 3,402 miles. 

Kevin Steele Journeyman Totals

College Playing Career

• Drive 6 hours and 4 minutes and 378 miles.

Coaching Career

• Drive 59 hours and 4,042 miles. 

• Drive 52 hours and 3,423 miles. 

• Drive 51 hours and 3,402 miles. 

Journeyman Travel Totals

• Approximately 168 Hours and 11,245 miles.

Dennis Erickson maintains the lead for Journeyman Coach travel in driving with 261 Hours of driving and 17,040 miles. June Jones maintains the lead with most hours flying and most flight mileage of 63 hours and 28,557 miles. June Jones also maintains the most combined flight & driving with 307 travel hours and 44,906 miles traveled total.