Todd Haley Todd Haley ( born February 28 , 1967 ) is an American football coach , currently serving as the offensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers . Haley recently served as the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League ( NFL ) from 2009 to 2011 . Prior to joining the Chiefs , Haley served as the Arizona Cardinals ' offensive coordinator from 2007 to 2008 , and was the wide receiver s coach for the New York Jets , Chicago Bears , and Dallas Cowboys . Early years . Haley was born on February 28 , 1967 , in Atlanta , Georgia He is the son of Dick Haley , formerly Director of Player Personnel for the Pittsburgh Steelers ( 1971 – 1990 ) and New York Jets ( 1991 – 2002 ) and also a former NFL cornerback ( 1959 – 1964 ) . As a youth , Haley was a ball boy for the Steelers and attended Steelers training camps with his father . Alongside his father , Haley would watch the Steelers ' game and practice film . While his family was located in Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania for his father ' s profession , Haley attended Upper St . Clair High School . He went on to attend the University of Florida and University of Miami , playing on the two schools ' respective golf squads . Haley graduated from the University of North Florida in 1991 with a bachelor ' s degree in communication . Assistant coaching career , 1995 – 2008 . Haley was hired by the New York Jets in 1995 and served as an assistant in the scouting department for two seasons . At the time , Haley ' s father Dick was working with the Jets as Director of Player Personnel . In 1997 , he was promoted to offensive assistant / quality control coach and worked closely with then - offensive coordinator Charlie Weis . From 1999 to 2000 Haley was the Jets ' wide receivers coach , helping Keyshawn Johnson make his second Pro Bowl appearance . During his tenure with the Jets , Haley began his association with Scott Pioli , who served as Director of Pro Personnel for the Jets from 1997 to 1999 . Pioli later became the general manager of the Kansas City Chiefs and hired Haley as the team ' s head coach in 2009 . In 2001 , Haley joined the Chicago Bears as wide receivers coach and served in the position until 2003 . In 2002 , he helped Marty Booker become the first Bears Pro Bowl wide receiver since 1971 . From 2004 to 2006 , Haley was the wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys . Haley helped develop quarterback Tony Romo and the Cowboys ' passing offense , which centered around wide receivers Terry Glenn and Terrell Owens . In 2007 , Haley joined Ken Whisenhunt ' s coaching staff for the Arizona Cardinals as the team ' s offensive coordinator . Haley did not start calling plays for the Cardinals until late in the season . The Cardinals finished in the top half of the NFL in multiple offensive categories . Under Haley ’ s guidance , the Cardinals offense in 2008 was one of the league ’ s most innovative and explosive units . Arizona tied for third in the league in scoring , registering a franchise - record 427 points ( 26 . 7 ppg ) . The Cardinals were fourth in total offense , averaging 365 . 8 yards per game . Arizona was second in the league in passing offense ( 292 . 1 ypg ) and ranked sixth in the NFL with 20 . 5 first downs per game . The Cardinals finished the season with a 9 – 7 record and a playoff berth after winning the NFC West Division title . The Cardinals went on to appear in their first Super Bowl in franchise history after the team scored more than 30 points in each of its three playoff games . In Super Bowl XLIII , the Cardinals offense played the NFL ' s top - ranked Pittsburgh Steelers defense . Trailing 17 – 7 at halftime , the Cardinals offense fought back after a 13 - point deficit and led the game 23 – 20 with just over two minutes remaining . The Cardinals lost 27 – 23 in the game ' s final seconds . Kansas City Chiefs , 2009 – 2011 . On December 14 , 2008 , a last - minute loss to the San Diego Chargers led longtime Kansas City Chiefs General Manager Carl Peterson to abruptly announce his resignation the following day . This paved the way toward the hiring of General Manager Scott Pioli on January 13 , 2009 . The decision to hire Pioli led to speculation that Herman Edwards , who had been serving as the Chiefs ' head coach since 2006 , was not likely to return for 2009 . Edwards was fired on January 23 , just five days after the Arizona Cardinals defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game . Leading up to Super Bowl XLIII , Haley was repeatedly questioned about Kansas City and the possibilities of joining his former colleague Scott Pioli . Haley would later say that it was the day after the Super Bowl , which the Cardinals lost , that he heard his name mentioned for the Chiefs ' coaching position . In the days after the Cardinals ' appearance in Super Bowl XLIII , Haley was offered the head coaching position of the Kansas City Chiefs . Haley accepted the position on February 6 , 2009 and signed a four - year contract . For his first coaching staff , Haley hired Joel Collier , Gary Gibbs , Steve Hoffman , Bill Muir , Clancy Pendergast , Pat Perles , and Dedric Ward to unspecified positions on the Chiefs ' 2009 coaching staff and retained Bob Bicknell , Joe D ’ Alessandris , Chan Gailey , Tim Krumrie , Brent Salazar , and Cedric Smith from Herm Edwards ' staff . Ward and Pendergast had previously served on the Cardinals ' coaching staff with Haley . Initially there were doubts as to whether Chan Gailey would be retained under Todd Haley ' s coaching staff , being that Haley had just concluded a successful stint as offensive coordinator at Arizona . Haley initially expressed satisfaction in working with Gailey saying , " The more I work with the guy , the more I like him . . . " However , after the Chiefs lost their first three pre - season games partially due to an abysmal offensive performance , Haley reportedly refused to bow to Gailey ' s suggestion to once again install a spread offense similar to the one installed midway through the 2008 season . Gailey was relieved of duties and Haley assumed offensive play - calling duties throughout the rest of the season . The Chiefs lost their first five games under Haley in 2009 . Haley won his first game as the Chiefs ' head coach on October 18 , 2009 beating the Washington Redskins 14 – 6 . In late October 2009 the Chiefs suspended starting running back Larry Johnson for one week in response to his public comments on Twitter where he questioned Todd Haley ' s coaching abilities and for using homophobic slurs when he addressed the media . Johnson ' s Twitter comments were : " My father got more creditentials than most of these pro coaches " [ Sic ] . That was followed by : " My father played for the coach from " Remember the Titans " . Our coach played golf . My father played for the Redskins briefly . Our coach . Nuthin . " [ Sic ] When Johnson returned from his suspension , he was released . After Haley released Johnson , he led the Chiefs to their first two - game winning streak since the 2007 season with victories against the Oakland Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers on November 15 and 22 . The 27 – 24 victory over the Steelers — the defending Super Bowl champions — came in overtime . The Chiefs ended their season with an unlikely victory against the Denver Broncos who were looking to clinch a Wild - Card playoff berth with a win . This was the first Kansas City win at Denver since 2000 and their first victory at Invesco Field at Mile High which opened in 2001 . This concluded the Chiefs season with a 4 - 12 record , a two - win improvement from 2008 . In Haley ' s second season , the Chiefs won their first three games , including the season opener on Monday Night Football against the San Diego Chargers , and was the last undefeated team remaining in the NFL before losing at Indianapolis in Week 5 . Kansas City went on to win the AFC West for the first time since 2003 . On January 9 , 2011 the Kansas City Chiefs played the Baltimore Ravens at Arrowhead Stadium . The Chiefs lost the game 30 - 7 with Matt Cassel passing for 70 yards and 3 interceptions . The only touchdown was a 41 - yard touchdown run by Jamaal Charles . On September 2 , 2011 Haley elected to play his starters against the Green Bay Packers in the final preseason game of the year . Tight end Tony Moeaki , a crucial piece of the team ' s 2011 offensive plans , injured his knee at the beginning of the second quarter and was ruled out for the remainder of the season . In a game played mostly by the Chiefs starters and the Packer ' s backups , the Chiefs went on to lose 20 – 19 , leading many to question Haley ' s decision to use his best players late into the game . Despite having lost several key players to injuries , on October 31 , 2011 Haley led The Chiefs to a come - from - behind victory in dramatic fashion on Monday Night Football . The win was KC ' s fourth in a row , which moved them into first place in the AFC West . It marked the first time in NFL history that a team which started 0 – 3 was leading its division by the halfway point of the season . Chiefs starting quarterback Matt Cassel broke his hand during a week 11 game vs . the Denver Broncos . He was replaced by Tyler Palko , and had surgery on the injured hand on November 14 . On November 21 , Cassel was placed on injured reserve , ending his season . Palko proved to be inadequate as a backup to a merely serviceable Cassel , leading many to question how a team with legitimate playoff hopes entering the 2011 season had remained so thin at so many key positions during the offseason , especially at quarterback and safety , where the Chiefs lack of depth was more than woeful . Haley was fired on December 12 , 2011 , after leading his team to a 5 – 8 record during the 2011 NFL season . The 2011 season began with three losses , including two blow - outs to Detroit and Buffalo . The team appeared to regroup , winning four straight games before losing the next 5 of 6 , including a complete team collapse in Haley ' s final game against the New York Jets . Late in that game Haley was flagged for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty , allowing the Jets to complete a touchdown drive that ultimately put the game out of reach . After the loss defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel was promoted to replace Haley . Pittsburgh Steelers , 2012 – present . On February 7 , 2012 , the Steelers announced that Haley would be the team ' s new offensive coordinator . Haley grew up in the Pittsburgh suburb of Upper Saint Clair , Pennsylvania , and his father was the Steelers ' former personnel director . He is the first offensive coordinator in 13 years to be hired from outside the organization . Head coaching record . - Fired midseason . Coaching tree . NFL head coaches under whom Todd Haley has served : Coaching style . Haley has been described as an aggressive coach and can be combative with players . During the 2009 NFC Championship Game against the Eagles , he had a first - half argument with quarterback Kurt Warner , then a short blowup in full view of television cameras with wide receiver Anquan Boldin later in the game . He also had a spat with Terrell Owens when he was the wide receivers coach in Dallas . Defending his style , Haley said " It ' s part of how I coach . . . It ' s part of how I motivate , and I like to think I ' ve had some success doing it . " Personal life . Haley has five children with his wife , Chrissy . In 2006 , Haley filed a 1 . 5 million - dollar lawsuit against McDonald ' s after his wife found a dead rat in her salad . The salad was purchased at a Southlake , Texas McDonald ' s restaurant while Haley was a member of the Dallas Cowboys coaching staff . His wife and their live - in babysitter began to eat before noticing the rat . The case was settled out of court for a confidential amount .