Mike Westhoff
| Position: | Special Teams Coordinator |
| Jets Seasons: | 9 |
| NFL Coaching seasons: | 27 |
| Age: | 61 |
■ Mike Westhoff begins his ninth season in charge of the Jets special teams. Since joining the Jets in 2001, Westhoff’s units have annually ranked among the top units in the NFL in overall special teams rankings.
■ The Jets' 11 kickoff returns for touchdowns from 2001-08 under Westhoff are the most in the NFL in that time span. New England is second with eight and Cleveland, Chicago and Buffalo are tied for third with seven.
■ Five different players have returned kickoffs for touchdowns under Westhoff: Chad Morton (2), Jonathan Carter (1), Jerricho Cotchery (1), Justin Miller (3) and Leon Washington (4).
■ Washington was elected to the Pro Bowl after the 2008 season after finishing sixth in the AFC in kickoff returns (25.6-yard avg.) and seventh in the conference in punt returns (10.4). The Jets also were fourth-best in the NFL in average kickoff drive start (29.6-yard line).
■ Miller was elected to the Pro Bowl in 2006, averaging 28.3 yards per return and taking back two kicks for touchdowns. Westhoff’s punt coverage unit did not allow a return over 18 yards that season.
■ In 2004, the Jets' punt coverage unit was tied for fourth in the NFL in yards allowed per return, allowing opponents just 6.5 yards per return. In 2003, Westhoff also fielded a dangerous, highly respected unit that finished second in the NFL in kickoff return average (24.4) and fourth in average start (31.6) and gross punting average (36.9).
■ During Westhoff’s first two seasons with the Jets (2001-02), their kickoff coverage and kickoff return units combined to rank first in the NFL. In 2002 the Jets’ return teams scored four touchdowns, two each on punts and kickoffs, and placed first in punt return average (16.0) in the league. The punt return unit was the only one in the NFL to have 10 returns over 20 yards, while his punt coverage team was the only one in the league not to allow a return of 20 yards or more in 2002.
■ In 2001, the Jets’ special teams gave the offense and defense a combined starting field position ranked first in the NFL (kickoff coverage ranked fifth in average kickoff drive start - 26.6 yard line; kickoff returns ranked second in average kickoff drive start - 31.2-yard line)...In 2001, the Jets’ special teams also blocked two punts and returned both for touchdowns.
■ Westhoff came to the Jets after 15 years with the Miami Dolphins. He was cited in a vote by his peers as the NFL Special Teams Coach of the Year for his work during the 2000 season.
■ From 1996-99, Westhoff produced the top-ranked punt and kickoff coverage units. During his career, he has worked with some of the NFL’s premier specialists, including Rohn Stark, Reggie Roby, Raul Allegre, Dean Biasucci, Fuad Reveiz, Pete Stoyanovich, John Kidd, Joe Nedney and Olindo Mare.
■ Prior to joining the Dolphins, he spent a year (1985) as the offensive line coach for the USFL’s Arizona Outlaws, and before that he served three seasons (1982-84) with the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts as their OL, TE and ST coach.
■ He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Indiana University, where he also earned his masters degree in educational psychology in 1974. He was the freshman coach at Indiana in 1975 before moving on to coach the OL at Dayton in 1976. He was both the DL and LB coach at Indiana State in 1977 and coached the OL at Northwestern (1978-80) and TCU (1981).
PLAYING CAREER
■ Westhoff began his collegiate playing career at Wyoming in 1965, where he was a starting outside linebacker as a freshman for the Cowboys.
■ He transferred to Wichita State, where he started for three years at both center and linebacker, with Bill Parcells as his defensive coordinator.
■ He was voted the team MVP as a junior and served as team captain as a senior before graduating in 1970 with a history degree.
OFF THE FIELD
■ Westhoff was born in Pittsburgh.
■ In 1989 the Dolphins players honored Westhoff’s dedication and courage by awarding him the NFL’s Ed Block Courage Award as he battled bone cancer. Despite the treatments he endured, he continued to coach full-time.
■ He was inducted into the Western Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 2000.
■ His son, John, played football and graduated from Penn and works in Manhattan.
