Mike Westhoff
Encyclopedia
Mike Westhoff is a special teams coach for the New York Jets
of the National Football League
. Westhoff is considered a "pioneering special teams coach" and his special teams units are generally ranked very highly in the NFL.
.
He stepped down as the special teams coach
for the New York Jets
in December 2007 after the final game. On September 1, 2008, it was announced Westhoff would return to the Jets' sideline for the 2008 season in an undefined role.
On August 8, 2010, Westhoff received a one year contract extension. Westhoff will remain with the team through 2011 and barring any setbacks will retire following the 2011 season.
in his left leg. Originally, the condition was misdiagnosed and Westhoff was nearly fatally wounded after the doctor accidentally cut one of his arteries. Once the correct diagnosis was made, Westhoff underwent ten surgeries to remove the cancer and the bone replacing it with bone grafts, plates, screws and pins. A cracked bone graft in 2007, caused Westhoff to announce his departure from the Jets. In 2008, Westhoff entered the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
to undergo a procedure to replace the missing femur with a titanium rod. After vigorous rehabilitation, Westhoff was able to walk again and returned to the Jets' sidelines in September 2008.
Westhoff is a native of the Pittsburgh suburb of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania
. Westhoff has a son, John.
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. Westhoff is considered a "pioneering special teams coach" and his special teams units are generally ranked very highly in the NFL.
New York Jets
Westhoff joined the Jets staff in 2001 after spending the previous 15 seasons in a similar capacity with the Miami DolphinsMiami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
He stepped down as the special teams coach
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
for the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in December 2007 after the final game. On September 1, 2008, it was announced Westhoff would return to the Jets' sideline for the 2008 season in an undefined role.
On August 8, 2010, Westhoff received a one year contract extension. Westhoff will remain with the team through 2011 and barring any setbacks will retire following the 2011 season.
Personal
In 1988, Westhoff was diagnosed with cancer of the femurFemur
The femur , or thigh bone, is the most proximal bone of the leg in tetrapod vertebrates capable of walking or jumping, such as most land mammals, birds, many reptiles such as lizards, and amphibians such as frogs. In vertebrates with four legs such as dogs and horses, the femur is found only in...
in his left leg. Originally, the condition was misdiagnosed and Westhoff was nearly fatally wounded after the doctor accidentally cut one of his arteries. Once the correct diagnosis was made, Westhoff underwent ten surgeries to remove the cancer and the bone replacing it with bone grafts, plates, screws and pins. A cracked bone graft in 2007, caused Westhoff to announce his departure from the Jets. In 2008, Westhoff entered the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Memorial Sloan–Kettering Cancer Center is a cancer treatment and research institution founded in 1884 as the New York Cancer Hospital...
to undergo a procedure to replace the missing femur with a titanium rod. After vigorous rehabilitation, Westhoff was able to walk again and returned to the Jets' sidelines in September 2008.
Westhoff is a native of the Pittsburgh suburb of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania
Bethel Park, Pennsylvania
Bethel Park is a home rule municipality in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and is part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area, approximately 7 miles southwest of Pittsburgh...
. Westhoff has a son, John.