Alabama head football coach Nick Saban announced the addition of Doug Marrone to the Crimson Tide coaching staff as the offensive line coach.
"We are extremely fortunate to be able to add Doug Marrone to our staff," Saban said. "He knows our new offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien well and will do a fantastic job with our offensive line. He has extensive experience as not only an offensive line coach, but also as a head coach at Syracuse and in the NFL with Buffalo and Jacksonville. Doug has an excellent track record for recruiting and developing players. I'm excited about his ability to help our players reach their full potential."
Marrone comes to Alabama after four-plus seasons as head coach of the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars. He guided the Jags to the AFC Championship Game at the end of the 2017 season after finishing with a 10-6 record. His 2017 team was tied for the NFL's biggest win/loss improvement (+7) among first-year head coaches and earned him AFC Coach of the Year recognition from the NFL 101 Awards.
Marrone also spent two years as the Buffalo Bills head coach from 2013-14, winning 15 games over two seasons, including a 9-7 record and a second-place finish in the rugged AFC East in 2014. The 9-7 mark in 2014 was the Bills' first winning record since the 2004 season.
"I have always admired the programs Coach Saban has built, and I am excited to have the opportunity to join his staff here at Alabama," Marrone said. "Coach's program is the model of consistency, and I am looking forward to helping continue that tradition of success with an exceptional group of players and coaches."
Prior to joining the Bills, Marrone spent four seasons (2009-12) as the head coach of his alma mater, Syracuse, where he led the program to a 21-17 record in his final three seasons. He guided the Orange to an 8-5 mark in 2010 and 2012 with both seasons culminating with victories in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl. Marrone earned AFCA Region 1 Coach of the Year honors in 2011 and was a finalist for the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award.
Marrone served as the New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator from 2006-08 and was the New York Jets offensive line coach from 2002-05. Prior to his time with the Jets, he spent one year as the tackles and tight ends coach at Tennessee (2001) and one year as the offensive line coach at Georgia (2000). Additionally, Marrone spent five years on the Georgia Tech staff with Bill O'Brien, serving as the offensive line coach from 1997-99 after coaching tight ends in 1996.
He began his coaching career in 1992 at Cortland (N.Y.) State as the school's tight ends coach before stints as the offensive line coach at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy (1993) and Northeastern University (1994).
A native of the Bronx, New York, Marrone was a sixth-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Raiders in 1986 and played two years in the NFL. Marrone was a three-year letterman at Syracuse and graduated in 1991 with a degree in liberal arts. Doug and his wife, Helen, have two daughters, Madeline and Annie, and a son, Mack.
While appropriate members of The Board of Trustees have been notified of the proposed terms and conditions of these proposed hires, the financial terms remain subject to the approval by The Board of Trustees.
