Who is the Michigan football defensive coordinator? What to know about Wink Martindale
The first half of the top-10 matchup for Michigan football against Texas did not go as the Wolverines planned.
The No. 3 Longhorns, led by quarterback Quinn Ewers, jumped out to a 24-3 halftime lead at the expense of No. 10 Michigan and first-year defensive coordinator Wink Martindale. Ewers completed 18-of-26 passes for 203 yards and two touchdowns in the first half, with the Wolverines defense having little resistance.
The Longhorns held the ball for 19:06 in the first half, going 8-for-10 on third downs and converting 15 first downs. On 45 first-half plays, Texas averaged 6.2 yards per play.
Fans take notice of coordinators when teams struggle, as Michigan did in the first half, or when they are hired away. Here's what you need to know about Wink Martindale and his coaching career:
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Who is Wink Martindale?
Don "Wink" Martindale, 61, was born on May 19, 1963, in Dayton, Ohio. He started his coaching career at his alma mater of Defiance College of Division III football.
On Feb. 9, coach Sherrone Moore named him the defensive coordinator for the Wolverines. Martindale, who agreed to mutually part ways with the NFL's New York Giants following the 2023 NFL season, is in his first college football job since he was the defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach for Western Kentucky in 2003.
In 2004, Martindale was hired by the then-Oakland Raiders as the linebackers coach before being hired away in the same position by the Denver Broncos in 2009. After just one year, he was promoted to defensive coordinator for the Broncos. Martindale did not coach during the 2011 season but was hired by the Baltimore Ravens as linebacker's coach in 2012. He was on the staff when the Ravens defeated the San Francisco 49ers 34-31 in Super Bowl XLVII in 2013.
Martindale was promoted to DC for the Ravens from 2018-21 and took the same role with the Giants in February 2022, less than a month after mutually parting ways with the Ravens. In 2023, Martindale earned the Paul "Dr. Z" Zimmerman Award, given to an NFL assistant for lifetime achievement.
Wink Martindale coaching history
Here's a look at Martindale's coaching history. He started as an assistant coach in 1986, and has coached in college and the NFL in his 38 years since.
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1986-87: Defiance, defensive coordinator
1994-95: Notre Dame, assistant
1996-98: Cincinnati, special teams and linebackers coach
1999: Western Michigan, defensive coordinator and linebackers coach
2000-03: Western Michigan, defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach
2004-08: Oakland Raiders, linebackers coach
2009: Denver Broncos, linebackers coach
2010: Denver Broncos, defensive coordinator
2012-17: Baltimore Ravens, linebackers coach
2018-21: Baltimore Ravens, defensive coordinator
2022-23: New York Giants, defensive coordinator
2024: Michigan, defensive coordinator
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Wink Martindale: What to know about first year Michigan football DC
