Nolan Cromwell
Encyclopedia
Nolan Neil Cromwell is the wide receiver
coach for the St. Louis Rams
. He was an All-Pro safety for the Los Angeles Rams
of the NFL
and was the offensive coordinator
at Texas A&M University
. Cromwell played for the Rams from 1977 through 1987 and was named to the Pro Bowl
in four consecutive years, 1980 through 1983. He played on the Rams' 1979 Super Bowl XIV
team.
, Cromwell earned the nickname the "Ransom Rambler" while attending Ransom High School as a standout in football, basketball and track. He was a national AAU junior champion in the decathlon, a three-time state champion in track and earned consensus All-State honors in football and basketball. He was named the Wichita Eagle’s high school football player of the decade for the 1970s.
quarterback
for the University of Kansas Jayhawks
. He started at quarterback for two seasons, throwing 92 passes and completing 33 for 606 yards. He is one of KU's ten 1,000-yard rushers in school history.
As a freshman in 1973 he was the starting safety in the Liberty Bowl
. After being a two-year starter at safety he made the move
to quarterback where he broke several KU, Big Eight and NCAA records for rushing by a quarterback. In 1975, Cromwell rushed 294 and 187 yards in the Oregon State and Wisconsin games, respectively, and finished the season with 1,124 rushing yards. He also scored a touchdown in a stunning 23-3 win over the University of Oklahoma
was ranked #1 at the time and the defending National Champions. Despite playing in just 18 games on offense at Kansas, he is 13th on the all-time rushing charts and is the top rushing quarterback. The 1975 Big Eight Offensive Player of the Year, All-Conference and Academic All-Conference's rushing total was the third highest in NCAA history at the time. His 294 yards rushing by a quarterback is still an NCAA record for a Division I school. He holds the Kansas record for most rushes (24) by a Kansas player in a Bowl game (set vs. Pittsburgh in the 1975 Sun Bowl
).
Cromwell also earned All-America in the 600-yard run and the 440-hurdles while setting KU records in the 600-meter and 400-meter yard runs, the intermediate hurdles (a record he still holds 49:47) and the decathlon and qualified for the US Olympic trials in the low hurdles.
he was part of the Big-8 champion mile relay team in 1975 and 1976, was the Big-8 440-yd/400-meter hurdle champ in both 1975 and 1976
With Cromwell's contributions the 1975 Jayhawk track team finished ranked second in the NCAA in outdoor track and fifth in indoor track while capturing both titles for the Big-8 Conference. In 1976 they repeated as Big-8 indoor champs and were second in outdoor while finishing tied for 9th in the NCAA in indoor competition and ited for 20th in outdoor competition.
Cromwell was inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame in 1996.
as a defensive back
in the second round, pick 32, in 1977
and played his entire 11-year career in Los Angeles. He was the Rams nickleback in 1977 and 1978 and a stadount (sicsic) on special teams, running a fake field goal as a holder was Cromwell's specialty. In 1979 he secured the starting free safety position and was named Second-team All-NFC.
He was named the 1980 NFC Defensive Player of the Year
by UPI
and by the Kansas Committee of 101
, and was named by Football Digest
as the NFL Defensive Back of the Year in 1980, 1981, 1982, and 1983. He was selected to play in four consecutive Pro Bowls, from 1980–1983. Cromwell was part of the Rams defenses that performed well in the late-1970s as well as the Top 10 defenses of 1985 and 1986 when Rams qualified for the playoffs five of his last six seasons.
At the time of his retirement, he was the Rams' all-time leader in interception return yardage with 671 yards in 37 interceptions. After retirement, he was named to the NFL 1980s All-Decade Team
and the Orange County Sports Hall of Fame.
to coach special teams for the Green Bay Packers
in 1992. From 1992-97, Cromwell headed up the special teams for the Packers. The Packers' punt return unit led the NFL in 1996 with a 15.1-yard return average. Five different times during the 1996 season, one of Cromwell's players was honored as Special Teams Player of the Week. Also in 1996, the Packers won Super Bowl XXXI against the New England Patriots in New Orleans with special teams player Desmond Howard winning the Super Bowl MVP honors. The following year, the Packers reached Super Bowl XXXII in San Diego against the Denver Broncos. In 1998, he moved from special teams to coach the Packers' wide receiver
s and Cromwell worked with the wide receivers at Green Bay in 1998 helping Pro Bowler Antonio Freeman lead the NFL with 1,424 yards on 84 catches
After two Super Bowl
appearances with Green Bay, in 1996 and 1997, Cromwell followed Holmgren to the Seattle Seahawks
to coach the wide receivers. Cromwell's 2002 wide receiver corps set a franchise record for 300-yard (five) and 400-yard (two) passing games and in 2003 helped quarterback Matt Hasselbeck set a club record with 3,841 passing yardsIn Seattle, Cromwell again made a Super Bowl appearance as a coach during the Seahawks' 2005 season
.
He is now the Wide Receiver coach for the St. Louis Rams
and has been so since February 10, 2010
Mike Sherman
named Cromwell to be his offensive coordinator
. When asked by media as to why he chose Cromwell, Sherman responded "I’ve always been impressed with him and the job he did in (the NFL). He’s excited about being part of college football."
On February 10, 2010, Cromwell returned to the NFL as a wide receiver coach for the Rams and works with the likes of Donnie Avery, Mark Clayton, Brandon Gibson, and other to get into synch with new Rams quarterback Sam Bradford
.
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
coach for the St. Louis Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
. He was an All-Pro safety for the Los Angeles Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
of the NFL
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...
and was the offensive coordinator
Offensive coordinator
An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of a gridiron football team who is in charge of the offense. Generally, along with his defensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
at Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
. Cromwell played for the Rams from 1977 through 1987 and was named to the Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
in four consecutive years, 1980 through 1983. He played on the Rams' 1979 Super Bowl XIV
Super Bowl XIV
Super Bowl XIV was an American football game played on January 20, 1980 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 1979 regular season...
team.
Early years
Cromwell played at Logan High School as a freshman, helping the basketball team win a state championship. When his family moved to RansomRansom, Kansas
Ransom is a city in Ness County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 294.-Geography:Ransom is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
, Cromwell earned the nickname the "Ransom Rambler" while attending Ransom High School as a standout in football, basketball and track. He was a national AAU junior champion in the decathlon, a three-time state champion in track and earned consensus All-State honors in football and basketball. He was named the Wichita Eagle’s high school football player of the decade for the 1970s.
College
Cromwell, nicknamed "The Ransom Rambler", was an honorable mention All-AmericaAll-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
for the University of Kansas Jayhawks
Kansas Jayhawks football
The Kansas Jayhawks football program is the intercollegiate football program of the University of Kansas Jayhawks. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I, and the team competes in the Big 12 Conference....
. He started at quarterback for two seasons, throwing 92 passes and completing 33 for 606 yards. He is one of KU's ten 1,000-yard rushers in school history.
As a freshman in 1973 he was the starting safety in the Liberty Bowl
Liberty Bowl
The Liberty Bowl is an annual U.S. American college football bowl game played in December of each year from 1959 to 2007 and in January in 2009 and 2010. The Liberty Bowl was sponsored by AXA Financial and was known as the AXA Liberty Bowl from 1997 to 2003...
. After being a two-year starter at safety he made the move
to quarterback where he broke several KU, Big Eight and NCAA records for rushing by a quarterback. In 1975, Cromwell rushed 294 and 187 yards in the Oregon State and Wisconsin games, respectively, and finished the season with 1,124 rushing yards. He also scored a touchdown in a stunning 23-3 win over the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
was ranked #1 at the time and the defending National Champions. Despite playing in just 18 games on offense at Kansas, he is 13th on the all-time rushing charts and is the top rushing quarterback. The 1975 Big Eight Offensive Player of the Year, All-Conference and Academic All-Conference's rushing total was the third highest in NCAA history at the time. His 294 yards rushing by a quarterback is still an NCAA record for a Division I school. He holds the Kansas record for most rushes (24) by a Kansas player in a Bowl game (set vs. Pittsburgh in the 1975 Sun Bowl
Sun Bowl
The Sun Bowl is an annual U.S. college football bowl game that is usually played at the end of December in El Paso, Texas. The Sun Bowl, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Orange Bowl are the second-oldest bowl games in the country, behind the Rose Bowl...
).
Cromwell also earned All-America in the 600-yard run and the 440-hurdles while setting KU records in the 600-meter and 400-meter yard runs, the intermediate hurdles (a record he still holds 49:47) and the decathlon and qualified for the US Olympic trials in the low hurdles.
he was part of the Big-8 champion mile relay team in 1975 and 1976, was the Big-8 440-yd/400-meter hurdle champ in both 1975 and 1976
With Cromwell's contributions the 1975 Jayhawk track team finished ranked second in the NCAA in outdoor track and fifth in indoor track while capturing both titles for the Big-8 Conference. In 1976 they repeated as Big-8 indoor champs and were second in outdoor while finishing tied for 9th in the NCAA in indoor competition and ited for 20th in outdoor competition.
Cromwell was inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame in 1996.
NFL
He was drafted by the Los Angeles RamsSt. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
as a defensive back
Defensive back
In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
in the second round, pick 32, in 1977
1977 NFL Draft
The 1977 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held May 3–4, 1977...
and played his entire 11-year career in Los Angeles. He was the Rams nickleback in 1977 and 1978 and a stadount (sicsic) on special teams, running a fake field goal as a holder was Cromwell's specialty. In 1979 he secured the starting free safety position and was named Second-team All-NFC.
He was named the 1980 NFC Defensive Player of the Year
UPI NFC Player of the Year
From 1970 to 1996, the United Press International awarded the NFC Player of the Year to players from the NFL's National Football Conference .-NFC Offensive Player of the Year:-See also:*UPI AFL-AFC Player of the Year...
by UPI
United Press International
United Press International is a once-major international news agency, whose newswires, photo, news film and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines and radio and television stations for most of the twentieth century...
and by the Kansas Committee of 101
Kansas City Committee of 101 Awards
The Kansas City Committee of 101 was founded by Jack Wheeler. The name was chosen because the membership was limited to 101 Chief's fans and cost $1,000 to join. The group began presenting its annual NFL awards in 1969. They started as NFL and AFL Awards. After the 1970 AFL-NFL merger, however,...
, and was named by Football Digest
Football Digest
Football Digest was a sports magazine for fans interested in professional American football, with in-depth coverage of the National Football League...
as the NFL Defensive Back of the Year in 1980, 1981, 1982, and 1983. He was selected to play in four consecutive Pro Bowls, from 1980–1983. Cromwell was part of the Rams defenses that performed well in the late-1970s as well as the Top 10 defenses of 1985 and 1986 when Rams qualified for the playoffs five of his last six seasons.
At the time of his retirement, he was the Rams' all-time leader in interception return yardage with 671 yards in 37 interceptions. After retirement, he was named to the NFL 1980s All-Decade Team
NFL 1980s All-Decade Team
The NFL 1980s All-Decade Team was chosen by voters of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The team was composed of outstanding performers in the National Football League in the 1980s...
and the Orange County Sports Hall of Fame.
NFL
After retirement as an active player, Cromwell began his coaching career with the Rams. He served as a defensive and special teams assistant in 1991 before being hired by Mike HolmgrenMike Holmgren
Michael George Holmgren is a former professional football coach and current President of the Cleveland Browns. He served as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers from 1992 to 1998, and the Seattle Seahawks from 1999 to 2008...
to coach special teams for the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
in 1992. From 1992-97, Cromwell headed up the special teams for the Packers. The Packers' punt return unit led the NFL in 1996 with a 15.1-yard return average. Five different times during the 1996 season, one of Cromwell's players was honored as Special Teams Player of the Week. Also in 1996, the Packers won Super Bowl XXXI against the New England Patriots in New Orleans with special teams player Desmond Howard winning the Super Bowl MVP honors. The following year, the Packers reached Super Bowl XXXII in San Diego against the Denver Broncos. In 1998, he moved from special teams to coach the Packers' wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
s and Cromwell worked with the wide receivers at Green Bay in 1998 helping Pro Bowler Antonio Freeman lead the NFL with 1,424 yards on 84 catches
After two Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
appearances with Green Bay, in 1996 and 1997, Cromwell followed Holmgren to the Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
to coach the wide receivers. Cromwell's 2002 wide receiver corps set a franchise record for 300-yard (five) and 400-yard (two) passing games and in 2003 helped quarterback Matt Hasselbeck set a club record with 3,841 passing yardsIn Seattle, Cromwell again made a Super Bowl appearance as a coach during the Seahawks' 2005 season
2005 Seattle Seahawks season
The 2005 Seattle Seahawks season saw them advance to the Super Bowl for the first time in the team's history. They were the NFC representative in Super Bowl XL, a game they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Seahawks compiled a 13-3 record in the regular season, easily winning the NFC West and...
.
He is now the Wide Receiver coach for the St. Louis Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
and has been so since February 10, 2010
College
On January 5, 2008, Texas A&M head coachHead coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
Mike Sherman
Mike Sherman
Michael Francis "Mike" Sherman is the head coach of the Texas A&M Aggies football team. Prior to coaching the Aggies, he served as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers from the 2000–05 seasons. Sherman led the Packers to five consecutive winning seasons from 2000–04 and three divisional titles...
named Cromwell to be his offensive coordinator
Offensive coordinator
An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of a gridiron football team who is in charge of the offense. Generally, along with his defensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
. When asked by media as to why he chose Cromwell, Sherman responded "I’ve always been impressed with him and the job he did in (the NFL). He’s excited about being part of college football."
On February 10, 2010, Cromwell returned to the NFL as a wide receiver coach for the Rams and works with the likes of Donnie Avery, Mark Clayton, Brandon Gibson, and other to get into synch with new Rams quarterback Sam Bradford
Sam Bradford
Samuel Jacob "Sam" Bradford is an American football quarterback for the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League. He was the first overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, and played college football at Oklahoma. In 2008, as a redshirt sophomore, Bradford became the second sophomore to win a...
.