

/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/9537223/20120909_jel_aq2_403.0.jpg)
We try to push that to our guys,” Leonhard says.
#Jim leonhard stats professional
And some wisdom from a former coach, Rex Ryan, guides his approach: football is a game meant for kids - one that college and professional athletes are lucky to still be playing. “They were who they were, and everybody respected it.”Īs for his own style, Leonhard walks the line between cracking jokes and demanding discipline. “I was very fortunate to be around some coaches with very strong personalities,” Leonhard says. Second, to be a great coach, you’ve got to be yourself. The lessons he carries with him from his time in the pros? First, there are different ways to achieve success, so flexibility is key to building team talent. He then played 10 seasons in the NFL with six teams, beginning with the Buffalo Bills and ending with the Cleveland Browns. Once a small-town Wisconsin kid who hadn’t witnessed Game Day at the UW until his senior year of high school, Leonhard walked on to the Badger football team and proceeded to wow fans with his speed and defensive finesse at safety. “I’m just trying to learn as much as I can, as fast as I can.”īut what he lacks in coaching experience, he makes up for with a solid playing career rooted in his love of the game. David Greenwood, Jim Leonhard SEASON RECEIVING YARDS Lee Evans ( 2001 ). “It is pretty special to be at this point in my career, where I’m at right now, really in only year two,” Leonhard says. Randy Wright ( 1981-83 ) Mike Samuel ( 1995-98 ) Jim Sorgi ( 2000-03 ) Tony. His direction of the defense will be measured against coaches across the country who are years his senior. A Wisconsin alumnus, Leonhard recorded 21 interceptions as a safety over three seasons in Madison, including a sophomore year in which he picked off 11 passes. When the stadium lights shine on Camp Randall and the bleachers shake with the weight of students jumping around, Jim Leonhard ’06 will be in the middle of the action, reminding his Badger players that football is meant to be fun.Īt 34, Leonhard is the youngest defensive coordinator in the Big Ten and has just one year of coaching under his belt.

Jim Leonhard, a Wisconsin native, walked on to the Badger football team.
