Anthony Blevins (born July 23, 1976) is a former American football player and coach who is currently a defensive assistant for the Birmingham Stallions of the United Football League (UFL). Blevins played in the original XFL with the Birmingham Thunderbolts[1] and had been a full-time coach in the NFL from 2013 to 2022.[2][3]
| Birmingham Stallions | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Defensive assistant |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | July 23, 1976 Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. |
| Height: | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Weight: | 170 lb (77 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Pleasant Grove (Pleasant Grove, Alabama) |
| College: | UAB |
| Undrafted: | 1999 |
| Career history | |
| As a player: | |
| As a coach: | |
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Education
editIn addition Blevins has a vast array of college degrees from his bachelor's in Sociology, master's degree in Instructional Technology from UAB where he played defensive back, as well as his doctorate in Instructional Systems and Work Force Development from Mississippi State, which he received while serving as a graduate assistant there.[4][5]
Playing career
editAfter playing college football at UAB, Blevins played professionally for the Mobile Admirals of the Regional Football League, the Birmingham Steeldogs of af2 and the Birmingham Thunderbolts of the original XFL.[6]
Coaching career
editCollege coaching career
editBlevins began his career in coaching at Meadowcreek High School in Georgia. He spent 2 years there working as the team's secondary coach while also serving as a community liaison. From 2005-2007, he served as a graduate assistant at Mississippi State University.[7] In 2008 he coached at the University of Tennessee-Martin working with the team's cornerbacks while also serving as recruiting coordinator. Between 2009 and 2011, Blevins worked at Tennessee State coaching the special teams and cornerbacks. In 2012 Blevins returned to his alma mater as the Blazers' cornerbacks coach.
Arizona Cardinals
editFrom 2013[3] to 2017, Blevins worked under Bruce Arians as an assistant special teams coach for the Arizona Cardinals.
New York Giants
editIn 2018,[8] Blevins became a part of Pat Shurmur's staff, where he spent two seasons as the Giants' assistant special teams coach[4] directly under Thomas McGaughey. In 2020 he was retained by Joe Judge who he coached with at Mississippi State [7] and became the team's assistant secondary coach.[9] In 2021 he was named the team's assistant linebackers coach and special teams assistant. He was retained by Brian Daboll and moved to the team's assistant special teams coach.
Vegas Vipers
editOn July 7, 2023, Blevins was announced as the new head coach of the Vegas Vipers of the XFL, replacing Hall of Famer Rod Woodson who finished the previous season 2–8.[6] Blevins never coached for the Vipers, who cancelled their stadium lease on August 31[10] and were formally contracted when the XFL merged into the United Football League prior to the start of the 2024 season.[11]
Birmingham Stallions
editOn May 28, 2024, Blevins joined the Birmingham Stallions of the United Football League (UFL) as a defensive assistant.[12]
References
edit- ^ "XFLBoard.com -Training Camp Cuts". xflboard.com. January 16, 2001. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
- ^ "Anthony Blevins | Pro Football History.com". pro-football-history.com. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
- ^ a b AL.com, Drew Champlin | (March 23, 2013). "Former UAB player, assistant Anthony Blevins getting chance to coach for NFL's Arizona Cardinals". al. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
- ^ a b "Anthony Blevins joins Giants as assistant special teams coach". SNY. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
- ^ Duggan, Dan. "Meet 'Doc Blev': How Giants assistant Anthony Blevins..." The Athletic. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
- ^ a b "XFL Names Dr. Anthony Blevins Vegas Vipers Head Coach". XFL. July 7, 2023. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
- ^ a b "Joe Judge's Giants staff has college ties, five former head coaches". ESPN.com. February 6, 2020. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
- ^ "Roger Kingdom, Anthony Blevins are latest Cardinals coaches to land new jobs". Cards Wire. January 25, 2018. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
- ^ "Report: Anthony Blevins expected to remain with Giants". Giants Wire. January 21, 2020. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
- ^ "XFL team on the move after first season in Las Vegas". Las Vegas Review-Journal. September 1, 2023. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
- ^ Alexander, Mookie (December 31, 2023). "Report: RIP, Seattle Sea Dragons?!". Field Gulls. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
- ^ Miller, Luke (May 28, 2024). "Birmingham Stallions Lose DC John Chavis, Add Anthony Blevins". Pro Football Newsroom. Retrieved May 28, 2024.