In this Aug. 15, 2009, photo, Tennessee Titans offensive line coach Mike Munchak talks to his players during an NFL preseason football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Titans have hired Mike Munchak as the franchise’s 16th head coach, deciding to promote from within to replace Jeff Fisher.
Owner Bud Adams Monday called the move a special day for the franchise; Munchak’s becomes the first former player to coach the team.
“Mike has been successful at everything he has been associated with at our franchise and I have no reason to believe that he won’t be successful as our head coach,” Adams said in a statement. “He earned Hall of Fame distinction as a player and yearly he has been one of the best offensive line coaches in the NFL. He understands where we have been and knows where we need to go.”
Munchak, a favorite of Adams, was the first man interviewed to replace Fisher and had been considered the top candidate.
This will be the first head coaching job for Munchak, who turns 51 in March, with the only franchise the offensive line coach and Hall of Fame lineman has ever played or worked for since being selected eighth overall by the then-Houston Oilers in 1982.