Rams Announce Dave McGinnis As Assistant Head Coach

The St. Louis Rams made it official on Wednesday. The team announced the hiring of Dave McGinnis as an assistant head coach. Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean broke the news on Monday.

Head coach Jeff Fisher spoke highly of the man who worked for him from 2004 until 2010, when Fisher left the Titans.

"I feel very fortunate that we were able to bring Dave aboard," Fisher said. "He's been in a variety of roles in this league, from position coach all the way up to head coach. His vast knowledge and experience will be valuable assets to our staff, and I'm really excited to have the opportunity to work with Dave again."

McGinnis had a similar title in Tennessee, as a senior assistant coach. He also coached the linebackers there.

McGinnis fits the profile of experienced assistants that Fisher has hired. He'll be a very good fit for turning around the team quickly.

For more on McGinnis, check out this fanpost from Tuesday night, it makes a great case for why he's a good hire.

Read the official press release from the Rams after the jump.

Dave McGinnis, who enters his 39th year as a coach in 2012, joins the Rams after spending the last eight seasons with the Tennessee Titans, seven of which he worked under Fisher.

In 2011, McGinnis served as senior assistant coach where he assisted head coach Mike Munchak and the defensive staff in addition to personnel and administrative duties. McGinnis served as Tennessee's linebackers coach for seven years and six as assistant head coach.

McGinnis' coaching experience include 25 seasons in the NFL, including three and a half years as the head coach for the Arizona Cardinals. One of the most respected defensive minds in the game, McGinnis directed the Cardinals defense as their defensive coordinator from 1996 to 2000 before being promoted to the head job during the 2000 season.

He guided three Titan linebackers to new career heights - Keith Bulluck, Stephen Tulloch and David Thornton. Each of the three reached career-high marks in almost every category under McGinnis.

As defensive coordinator in Arizona, he led a group that produced three Pro Bowlers in Aeneas Williams, Eric Swann and Simeon Rice. Rice also earned AP Rookie of the Year honors in 1996 and tallied 51.5 sacks in his tenure with the team, including a franchise record 16.5 sacks in 1999. McGinnis' 1998 defense helped lead Arizona to the playoffs and ranked third in the league in takeaways with 39.

McGinnis built his reputation and knowledge during a 10-year stint (1986-95) with the Chicago Bears as a linebackers coach, where he worked with one of the best linebacker corps in the game: Mike Singletary, Wilber Marshall and Otis Wilson. He coached Hall of Famer Mike Singletary for seven of his 12 years in the league with each ending in a trip to the Pro Bowl. During his tenure in Chicago, the Bears advanced to the playoffs six times and the defense finished in the top six of the NFL in defense six times, including a first or second place ranking three times.

Prior to joining the NFL ranks, McGinnis spent 13 years in college football with stops at his alma mater Texas Christian University (1973-74, '82), Missouri (1975-77), Indiana State (1978, '80-81) and Kansas State (1983-85).

McGinnis was a three-year starter as a defensive back at TCU, where he graduated in 1973 with a degree in business management. He was born in Independence, Kan. and grew up in Snyder, Texas.