Mississippi State
Deshea Townsend was the coach of which team from 2013 to 2015?
Deshea Townsend Trevor Deshea Townsend ( born September 8 , 1975 ) is a former cornerback in the National Football League ( NFL ) , and is currently the secondary coach for the Chicago Bears . Formerly he served as an assistant defensive backs coach for the Arizona Cardinals and the New York Giants . He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide and was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fourth round ( 117th overall ) in the 1998 NFL Draft , and also played a season with the Indianapolis Colts . Early years . A native of Batesville , Mississippi , Townsend played high school football for the South Panola Tigers , where he was the teammate of fellow future Alabama Crimson Tide star Dwayne Rudd . Townsend played quarterback at South Panola and led the team to the 1993 Mississippi State 5A championship and an undefeated 15–0 record . College career . Along with Rudd , Townsend continued his career in college at the University of Alabama where both became members of the Theta Delta Chapter of the Phi Beta Sigma fraternity , in 1995 . He majored in business management . He had seven career interceptions at Alabama . In 1995 at Georgia , Townsend returned a blocked field goal attempt 90 yards for a touchdown in a 31-0 win . Townsend was named All-SEC in 1995 , 1996 , and 1997 . Professional career . The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Townsend in the fourth round ( 117th overall ) of the 1998 NFL Draft . He was the 14th cornerback drafted in 1998 . Townsend grew from a special teams player and nickelback ( and initially known in Pittsburgh as the first player to wear Rod Woodsons number 26 after left the Steelers ) , into a solid starter for the Pittsburgh Steelers at cornerback . Townsend was known for his outside speed as a pass rusher . Townsend has recorded 322 tackles , 15.5 quarterback sacks and 18 interceptions during his twelve years as a Steeler . He also had a key sack on Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck during the final minutes of Super Bowl XL , which helped secure the Steelers eventual victory . On March 23 , 2002 , the Pittsburgh Steelers signed Townsend to a four-year , $4.20 million contract as an unrestricted free agent that included a signing bonus of $1 million . He visited with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during free agency and his agent was also contacted by the New England Patriots , Houston Texans , and Atlanta Falcons . On March 17 , 2006 , the Pittsburgh Steelers signed Townsend to a four-year , $8 million contract that included a signing bonus of $2 million . He received the contract offer during a visit with the New England Patriots . During the 2008 season , Townsend accepted the reduced role from starting cornerback to the nickel package . In August 2010 , Townsend joined the Indianapolis Colts . On November 9 , 2010 , he was waived by the Colts . For the season , Townsend played in eight Colts games with no starts , and totaled 10 tackles and no interceptions or sacks . Townsend is the father of 4 children . 3 with Coralor Townsend of Mississippi and 1 with Brooke Egleston of Pennsylvania . Coaching career . Arizona Cardinals . On February 10 , 2011 , Townsend was hired as assistant defensive backs coach of the Arizona Cardinals , joining former coach Ray Horton who was named defensive coordinator . In the 2011 NFL draft , the Cardinals selected cornerback Patrick Peterson with the 5th pick . The Cardinals would go 8-8 and miss the playoffs for the second straight year . During the season they would the defeat the would-be NFC West champion San Francisco 49ers 21-19 . Under his coaching , safety Adrian Wilson would be named PFFs second-team All-Pro and would be selected to the Pro Bowl . In the 2012 NFL draft , the Cardinals selected cornerback Jamell Fleming and safety Justin Bethel with the 80th and 177th picks respectively . The Cardinals would go 5-11 and miss the playoffs for the third straight year . During the season , they would defeat two playoff teams , the AFC East champion New England Patriots & the Seattle Seahawks . Under his coaching , Patrick Peterson would lead the NFL in fumble recoveries and finish 4th in interceptions , defensive back James Sanders would lead the NFL in fumble return yards & defensive back Greg Toler would record the longest interception return of the year with 102 yards . Patrick Peterson would be named to the Pro Bowl . He would be released alongside head coach Ken Whisenhunt at the end of the season . Mississippi State . In January 2013 , Townsend was hired as cornerbacks coach at Mississippi State University . The Bulldogs would go 7-6 and would win the Liberty Bowl , defeating Rice 44-7 . They would lose to all of their ranked opponents , No . 13 Oklahoma State , No . 10 LSU , No . 14 South Carolina , No . 11 Texas A&M , and No . 1 Alabama . Under his coaching , defensive back Nickoe Whitley recorded 5 interceptions , 2nd-best in the SEC , Jamerson Love ranked 2nd in interception return touchdowns , and Taveze Calhoun ranked 2nd in interception return yards . Whitley would be named All-SEC . In 2014 , the Bulldogs ended the season ranked No . 11 , going 10-3 and would lose the Orange Bowl to No . 10 Georgia Tech 34-49 . They would win 3 of their five ranked matchups , defeating No . 8 LSU , No . 6 Texas A&M , and No . 2 Auburn , but falling to No . 4 Alabama & No . 18 Ole Miss . In 2015 , the Bulldogs went 9-4 and would win the Belk Bowl , defeating NC State 51-28 . They would lose all of their ranked matchups , No . 14 LSU , No . 14 Texas A&M , No . 3 Alabama , and No . 19 Ole Miss . Tennessee Titans . On January 26 , 2016 , Townsend was named the defensive backs coach of the Tennessee Titans , joining his former defensive coordinator when he was a player , Dick LeBeau from the Steelers during 2004-09 . In the 2016 NFL Draft , the Titans took safety Kevin Byard in the third round ( 64th pick ) . In 2016 , the Titans went 9-7 but missed the playoffs for the eighth straight season . During the season , the Titans would defeat four playoff teams , the NFC North champion Green Bay Packers , the AFC West Kansas City Chiefs , the Miami Dolphins & the Detroit Lions . In 2017 , the Titans went 9-7 but made the playoffs for the first time since 2008 . They would beat the Kansas City Chiefs 22-21 in the Wild Card round , winning their first playoff game since 2003 . They would lose to the New England Patriots 14-35 in the Divisional Round . Under his coaching , safety Kevin Byard would lead the NFL in interceptions , make the 2018 Pro Bowl , and was named first-team All-Pro . New York Giants . On February 6 , 2018 , Townsend was named the assistant defensive backs coach for the New York Giants . During 2018 , the Giants went 5-11 for the first time since 1995 and missed the playoffs for the second straight season . They would defeat two playoff teams , the AFC South champion Houston Texans & the NFC North champion Chicago Bears . Under his coaching , cornerback Janoris Jenkins ranked 5th in passes defended and safety Landon Collins made the Pro Bowl . Chicago Bears . On January 18 , 2019 , Townsend was named the defensive backs coach for the Chicago Bears , a position that was eventually renamed to secondary coach . The Bears went 8-8 in 2019 and missed the playoffs . Under his coaching , Kyle Fuller made the Pro Bowl . External links . - ESPN.com Deshea Townsend player card - The Deshea Townsend Show on KDKA/CW - Chicago Bears bio