- Became an NFL head coach when hired by the Cardinals on January 8, 2019. Kingsbury came to Arizona after spending six seasons (2013-18) as the head coach at his alma mater, Texas Tech.
- Since joining the team in 2019, has helped the Cardinals increase their win total by multiple games in each of his first three seasons.
- After inheriting a team that – in 2018, the year prior to his arrival – had the NFL's worst record and league's 32nd ranked defense, Kingsbury guide Arizona to a playoff berth, 11 wins and a top-10 offense in 2021. The Cardinals ranked in the top-10 in in total offense, passing offense and rushing offense last season.
- Arizona had the NFL's 8th ranked offense in 2021 after finishing with the 6th ranked offense in 2020. It marked just the second time (2015-16) since relocating to Arizona in 1988 that the Cardinals had a top-10 offense in back-to-back seasons.
- The Cardinals offense has ranked top-10 in total offense, offensive TDs, rushing yards/game and rushing TDs in each of the last two seasons (2020-21).
- Arizona finished the 2021 regular season with 6,352 total net yards, the second-highest total in franchise history. The Cardinals had 4,276 net passing yards and 2,076 rushing yards in 2021, marking just the second time in franchise history (1984) that Arizona had 4,000+ net passing yards and 2,000+ rushing yards in a season.
- Under Kingsbury (2019-21), the Cardinals have posted 400+ yards in a game 20 times, which ranks 5th in the NFL. During that same span, Arizona has posted 400+ yards and 30+ points in a game 14 times, tied for the 4th most in the NFL.
- Arizona ranked 10th in the NFL with 2,076 rushing yards and 3rd in the NFL with 23 rushing TDs in 2021. It marked the third consecutive season (2019-21) the Cardinals ranked in the top-10 in both categories. Dating back to 2019, the Cardinals are one of just five teams (Baltimore, Tennessee, San Francisco, New England) with 6,000+ rushing yards and 60+ rushing TDs.
- The Cardinals have rushed for 2,000+ yards and 20+ TDs in each of the last two seasons, marking just the second time in franchise history (1948-49) the team accomplished the feat.
- Arizona led the NFL with an 8-1 record on the road in 2021, setting a new franchise record for road wins in a season. The Cardinals became only the third team in NFL history to win seven consecutive road games by 10+ points.
- The Cardinals have committed just 54 turnovers in three seasons under Kingsbury. In that span, only Green Bay (37), New Orleans (43) and Seattle (51) have fewer. Arizona's 15 turnovers and four fumbles lost in 2021 were both the fewest in a season in franchise history.
- Recognized as one of the profession's brightest and most-innovative offensive minds, Kingsbury has built a reputation for his work with QBs. Under Kingsbury's tutelage, Arizona QB Kyler Murray – the #1 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft – was named AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2019 and has been named to the Pro Bowl each of the last two years (2020-21).
- Among the QBs Kingsbury mentored in the college ranks were first-round selections Patrick Mahomes (2018 NFL MVP and Super Bowl LIV MVP), Baker Mayfield and Johnny Manziel as well as Case Keenum, Davis Webb and Nic Shimonek. Under Kingsbury's guidance, Mahomes (2016) and Keenum (2009, '11) both led the nation in passing.
- As the head coach at Texas Tech, Kingsbury served as the play-caller for one of the college football's most explosive and productive offenses. The Red Raiders featured a passing attack that ranked in the top-10 in the country in all six seasons of his tenure.
- In eight seasons (2011-18) as a head coach/offensive coordinator at the college level, a Kingsbury-led offense never finished outside the top-20 in the nation in total offense and never finished outside the top-15 in passing offense.
- Kingsbury also coached at Texas A&M (2012) and at the University of Houston (2008-11) where he began his coaching career.
- At both Houston (2011) and Texas Tech (2016), Kingsbury's offenses led the nation in total offense and passing offense.
Kliff Kingsbury was named Arizona's head coach on January 8, 2019 when he signed a four-year contract with a team option for a fifth. This past offseason, he signed a contract extension that will keep him in Arizona long-term. The 43-year old Kingsbury joined the Cardinals after spending six seasons (2013-18) as the head coach at his alma mater, Texas Tech. The New Braunfels, TX native is a 14-year coaching veteran who spent three seasons (2003-05) in the NFL as a player.
ARIZONA: In his first three seasons with the Cardinals, Kingsbury helped lead a turnaround that resulted in the team increasing its win total by multiple games each year. In 2018, the year prior to his arrival, Arizona had an NFL-low three wins. In three years under Kingsbury, the Cardinals have posted five (2019), eight (2020) and 11 (2021) wins.
In 2021, the Cardinals posted an 11-6 record and secured their first playoff berth since 2015. Kingsbury became just the fifth head coach in franchise history to lead to team to 11-or-more wins. Arizona had another banner season offensively, ranking in the top-10 in the NFL in total offense (8th), offensive points per game (10th), TDs scored (t-8th), passing offense (10th), and rushing offense (10th). Arizona, Buffalo and Dallas were the only teams in the NFL to rank in the top-10 in total offense, rushing offense and passing offense in '21.
The Cardinals finished the 2021 regular season with 4,276 net passing yards and 2,076 rushing yards, marking just the second time in franchise history (1984) the team had 4,000+ passing yards and 2,000+ rushing yards in a season.
Arizona had the NFL's 8th ranked offense in 2021 after finishing with the 6th ranked offense in 2020. It marked just the second time (2015-16) since relocating to Arizona in 1988 that the Cards had a top-10 offense in back-to-back seasons. The Cardinals offense has ranked in the top-10 in total offense, offensive TDs, rushing yards/game and rushing TDs in each of the last two seasons.
The Cardinals rushing attack continued to be one of the NFL's best under Kingsbury. Arizona finished 10th in the NFL with 2,076 rushing yards and 3rd in the NFL with 23 rushing TDs in 2021. It was the third straight season (2019-20) the Cardinals ranked in the top-10 in both categories. In three years under Kingsbury, the Cardinals have rushed for 6,303 yards and 63 TDs, making them one of just five teams in the NFL (Ravens, 49ers, Titans and Patriots) with 6,000+ rushing yards and 60+ rushing TDs in that span.
Despite putting up big numbers, the Cardinals offense has also been one of the league's best at protecting the ball. Arizona has committed just 54 turnovers the last three seasons, with only Green Bay (37), New Orleans (43) and Seattle (51) having fewer. The Cardinals 15 total turnovers and four fumbles lost in 2021 were both the fewest in a single-season in franchise history. Just twice in team annals have the Cardinals gone at least seven games without a turnover in a single season, and both have come during Kingsbury's tenure (2019, 2021).
In 2020, Arizona finished top-10 in total offense (#6), rushing yards/game (#7), rushing TDs (#4) and offensive TDs (#10) while compiling 6,153 total net yards. In his first season in 2019, Kingsbury helped Arizona boast a 60.4% increase in points scored and a 91.7% increase in the total number of scoring drives compared to 2018.
Under Kingsbury's guidance, QB Kyler Murray continues his ascent as one of the game's top signal-callers. The 2019 Offensive Rookie of the Year, Murray has been named to the Pro Bowl each of the last two seasons (2020-21), joining Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes and Russell Wilson as the only QBs to accomplish the feat. The first player in league history to have 70+ passing TDs and 20+ rushing TDs in his first three NFL seasons, Murray established a franchise single-season record with a 69.2 completion percentage last season. He also posted a 100.6 passer rating to join Carson Palmer (104.6 in 2015) as the only QBs in team history to finish a season with a passer rating of 100+.
TEXAS TECH: Kingsbury spent six seasons as the head coach at Texas Tech where he called plays for the Red Raiders high-powered offense that annually ranked among the top units in the country.
The Red Raiders featured a passing attack that ranked in the top-10 in the country in all six seasons of Kingsbury's tenure, ranked in the top-20 nationally for total offense in all six seasons and finished in the top-25 in scoring five times. In 2016, Texas Tech led the nation in total offense (566.6 ypg), passing offense (463.0 ypg) and ranked fifth in scoring offense (43.7 ppg).
Under Kingsbury, Texas Tech averaged at least 30 points per game, 470 total yards per game and 300 passing yards per game in all six seasons. The Red Raiders averaged over 500 yards of offense in four seasons and over 450 passing yards twice. In 24 games against ranked opponents, the Red Raiders offense averaged 502 yards per game.
Kingsbury's star pupil at Texas Tech was QB Patrick Mahomes, who was selected 10th overall in the 2017 NFL Draft and earned 2018 NFL MVP Honors and Super Bowl LIV MVP honors in his first four seasons in league. Mahomes helped rewrite the history books during his tenure with the Red Raiders, eclipsing the 5,000-yard mark as a junior in 2016 to become just the third quarterback ever to record 5,000+ yards of total offense in back-to-back seasons. He was selected as the 2016 Sammy Baugh Award winner after leading the country in passing yards (5,052) while throwing for 41 TDs and rushing for 285 yards and 12 TDs. Mahomes became the second of Kingsbury's quarterbacks to lead the nation in passing yards, joining former Houston QB Case Keenum (2009, '11).
As a sophomore in 2015, Mahomes became the youngest quarterback in NCAA history to amass 5,000 yards of total offense (4,653 passing yards; 456 rushing yards) and accounted for 46 TDs (36 passing, 10 rushing). Texas Tech finished #2 in the nation in total offense (579.5 ypg), passing offense (388.2 ypg) and scoring (45.1 ppg). The Red Raiders were one of just two schools nationally to score 25 or more points in every game that season.
In 2015, the Red Raiders featured a 4,000-yard passer, 1,000-yard receiver and a 1,000-yard rusher for the first time in school history. WR Jakeem Grant had 1,268 receiving yards to set the school career receiving yardage record (3,164 yards), breaking the previous mark held by two-time Biletnikoff Award winner Michael Crabtree. Grant also broke the school single-season record for all-purpose yards (2,353) and career kick return TDs (4). RB DeAndre Washington had back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons (2014-15), becoming the first Red Raider since Doak Walker award winner Byron Hanspard (1995-96) to accomplish that feat.
In his first year at Texas Tech in 2013, Kingsbury's offense finished 2nd nationally in passing offense (392.8 ypg) and 8th in total offense (510.7 ypg) and beat #16 Arizona State in the Holiday Bowl. He became just the second coach in program history to win a bowl game in his first season. Kingsbury had 12 players named to either the All-Big 12 first or second team as well as three All-America selections during his tenure at Texas Tech. He also helped eight players get selected in the NFL Draft.
QUARTERBACK SUCCESS: In addition to helping guide Kyler Murray to a record-breaking start to his NFL career, Kingsbury tutored six future NFL QBs at the college level, including first-round selections Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs), Baker Mayfield (Browns) and Johnny Manziel (Browns) as well as Case Keenum, Davis Webb and Nic Shimonek.
Under Kingsbury's guidance, Mahomes (2016) and Keenum (2009, '11) both led the nation in passing. Mahomes (2015-16) and Keenum (2008-08, '11) are two of the five quarterbacks (Lamar Jackson, Deshaun Watson, Graham Harrell) in FBS history to record 5,000+ yards of offense twice in a career. Keenum finished his college career by throwing for 5,631 yards and 48 TDs on 428-of-604 attempts in 2011.
During his lone season at Texas A&M (2012), Kingsbury mentored Johnny Manziel, who became the first freshman ever to win the Heisman Trophy after throwing for 3,706 yards and rushing for 21 TDs.
OTHER COACHING CAREER: Kingsbury began his coaching career at the University of Houston as the offensive quality control coach (2008-09) prior to being elevated to QBs coach (2010) and co-offensive coordinator in 2011.
With Kingsbury serving as co-offensive coordinator in 2011 and calling the plays, Houston led the nation in total offense (599.1 ypg), passing offense (450.1 ypg) and scoring (49.3 ppg). Keenum was selected as the Sammy Baugh Award winner as the nation's top quarterback and finished seventh in Heisman Trophy voting.
Kingsbury spent the 2012 season at Texas A&M as offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach. Texas A&M finished third nationally in total offense (558.5 ypg) with an attack that ranked 13th nationally in rushing (242.1 ypg) and 14th in passing (316.5 ypg). The Aggies beat #1 Alabama on the road and #11 Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl. In his only two seasons as an offensive coordinator (2011-Houston; 2012-Texas A&M), Kingsbury was named Offensive Coordinator of the Year both years by FootballScoop.com. Following his tenure as head coach at Texas Tech, Kingsbury was hired as the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at USC prior joining the Cardinals.
Playing Career: Kingsbury had a prolific career as a quarterback at Texas Tech (1999-2002), playing his last three seasons under Mike Leach where he set 39 school records, 16 Big 12 marks and 17 NCAA records during his collegiate career while throwing for 12,423 yards and 95 TDs. As a senior in 2002, he was awarded the Sammy Baugh Trophy as the nation's top college QB and was also named the Associated Press Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year while finishing 9th in Heisman Trophy voting. At Texas Tech, Kingsbury recorded more than 12,000 passing yards and total offense, including over 1,000 completions, making him just the third player in NCAA history to accomplish all three feats.
He was drafted in the sixth round (201st overall) of the NFL Draft by New England in 2003 and spent his rookie season on the Patriots injured reserve list before spending the 2004 season on the Saints practice squad. Kingsbury played in one game with the Jets in 2005 and completed one of two passes for 17 yards. He played with the Cologne Centurions of NFL Europe in 2006 before attending training camp with the Bills that summer. Kingsbury finished his playing career in the CFL by playing with the Montreal Alouettes and Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2007.
PERSONAL: Kingsbury grew up and played high school football under his father, Tim, at New Braunfels (TX) High School where he threw for over 3,000 yards and 34 TDs as a senior in 1997 to lead the Unicorns to the Class 5A Division II state semifinals just one year after finishing 4-8. New Braunfels finished Kingsbury's senior season with a 13-2 record, which included six come from behind wins. In 2018, Kingsbury was inducted into the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame.
While at Texas Tech, Kingsbury was one of 14 collegiate football players to receive a post-graduate scholarship from the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame. He was also awarded with Academic All-America Player of the Year honors in 2002, the highest academic honor for a player in Texas Tech history. Kingsbury earned a bachelor's degree in Management from Texas Tech in 2001.
