Romeo Crennel

Romeo Crennel
	Crennel in 2005
Personal information
Born:	June 18, 1947 (age 77); Lynchburg, Virginia, U.S.
Career information
High school:	Fort Knox (KY)
College:	Western Kentucky
Undrafted:	1970
Career history
As a coach:
	Western Kentucky (1970–1974) ; Defensive line coach; Texas Tech (1975–1977) ; Defensive assistant; Ole Miss (1978–1979) ; Defensive ends coach; Georgia Tech (1980) ; Defensive line coach; New York Giants (1981–1989) ; Special teams coach; New York Giants (1990–1992) ; Defensive line coach; New England Patriots (1993–1996) ; Defensive line coach; New York Jets (1997–1999) ; Defensive line coach; Cleveland Browns (2000) ; Defensive coordinator; New England Patriots (2001–2004) ; Defensive coordinator; Cleveland Browns (2005–2008) ; Head coach; Kansas City Chiefs (2010–2011) ; Defensive coordinator; Kansas City Chiefs (2011) ; Interim head coach; Kansas City Chiefs (2012) ; Head coach; Houston Texans (2014–2017) ; Defensive coordinator; Houston Texans (2018–2019) ; Assistant head coach; Houston Texans (2020) ; Interim head coach;
Career highlights and awards
	As coach 5× Super Bowl champion (XXI, XXV, XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX); PFW Assistant Coach of the Year (2003);
Head coaching record
Regular season:	32–63 (.337)
	Record at Pro Football Reference

Romeo Crennel (born June 18, 1947) is a former American football coach. A former long-time coaching assistant to Bill Parcells, Crennel served as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns from 2005 to 2008 and the Kansas City Chiefs in 2012, as well an assistant coach for six NFL teams and four collegiate teams. He has over 50 years of coaching experience, which has included consistently being employed as a coach for all but two seasons since 1970, only taking the 2009 and 2013 seasons off following both of his tenures as a permanent head coach. He has five Super Bowl wins as assistant coach, two with the New York Giants and three with the New England Patriots.

From 2014 to 2021, Crennel has served as an assistant coach for the Houston Texans under head coaches Bill O'Brien and David Culley, and served as the team's interim head coach during the 2020 season after O'Brien was fired following an 0–4 start. At 73 years and 115 days of age at the time of his promotion to interim coach, Crennel is the oldest person in NFL history to serve as a head coach, a record previously held by former Chicago Bears head coach/owner and NFL co-founder George Halas, who was 72 years and 318 days old when he coached the final game of his career on December 17, 1967. Crennel was the first Black head coach in Texans franchise history; he was also the first Black noninterim head coach in Browns history.