Chuck Cecil Charles Douglas " Chuck " Cecil ( born November 8 , 1964 ) , is the defensive secondary coach of the NFL ' s St . Louis Rams . He is also a former NFL Pro Bowl safety . Early years . Cecil was born in Red Bluff , California . He grew up in Hanford , CA . He graduated from Helix High School in La Mesa , California where he was a standout player on a defense which set a school record for fewest points allowed per game and won a state title . At and ( at the time ) , Cecil was considered too small to be a collegiate star and thus was not offered a scholarship out of high school . College . He attended the University of Arizona where he walked - on for the Arizona Wildcats football team . He proved the recruiters wrong by eventually earning consensus All - America and Pac - 10 Defensive Player of the Year honors after his nine - interception senior season . When Cecil left Arizona , he held the Pac - 10 record for career interceptions , with 21 ( Lamont Thompson later broke the mark with 24 ) , and set the Wildcats ' school single - game record ( and tied the Pac - 10 record ) with four interceptions against Stanford in 1987 . In the 1986 game against rival the Arizona State University Sun Devils , Cecil returned an interception 100 yards to notch a Wildcats victory . This play has been voted the greatest play in Wildcat football history . He was inducted into the Wildcats ' Sports Hall of Fame in 1993 and into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2009 . He also spent two seasons ( 1999 – 2000 ) as a television analyst for University of Arizona football games . Professional . Cecil was selected by the Packers in the fourth round ( 89th overall ) of the 1988 NFL Draft . Cecil was known for his thunderous tackling and aggressive style during his time as a safety for the Packers ( 1988 – 1992 ) , Cardinals ( 1993 ) and Oilers ( 1995 ) , and earned a trip to the Pro Bowl and garnered All - Madden status in 1992 when he recorded four interceptions and 102 tackles on the season . In 95 career games he totaled 400 tackles and 16 interceptions . During his years with the Packers , he earned the nickname " Scud " Cecil because of his hit - or - miss approach to tackling opponents . He often left his feet and led with his helmet , and much like the infamous missiles launched during the Gulf War - would occasionally miss completely or arrive late . Cecil is regarded as among the most vicious hitters in National Football League history . Chuck Cecil was featured on the October 11 , 1993 issue of " Sports Illustrated " with the question : " Is Chuck Cecil Too Vicious for the NFL ? " Many photos taken of Cecil during games showed him with a bloodied nose . During much of his career , Cecil was forced to wear a " Gazoo Helmet " ; a helmet so named because it resembled the head of The Great Gazoo , a recurring character in " The Flintstones " animated series . The " Gazoo helmet " is actually a thick padding that fits on a helmet ' s shell to reduce the risk of receiving a concussion and reducing the risk of injury to opponents due to helmet - first hits , for which Chuck Cecil was fined numerous times . Despite the additional protection , recurring concussions forced Chuck Cecil into retirement . Coaching career . In 2001 Cecil accepted a coaching position for the Tennessee Titans under Jeff Fisher , for whom he had played in his final season ( when the team was the Houston Oilers ) . Cecil served as a defensive quality control assistant for three seasons . He was promoted in 2004 , to work with the safeties and nickel backs . His responsibilities expanded in 2007 to cover all of the defensive backs . On February 12 , 2009 , Cecil was named the Titan ' s defensive coordinator , replacing the departed Jim Schwartz , who had taken the position of Head Coach for the Detroit Lions . On October 3 , 2010 , during a game against the Denver Broncos , Cecil gave NFL officials the middle - finger gesture in an attempt to protest a neutral zone infraction call against one of his players . Live close - up video of Cecil was being aired at the time , and the gesture was broadcast without editing . For his inappropriate action , he was fined $ 40 , 000 by the league . On January 20 , 2011 , it was announced that Cecil would not be retained as the Titans ' defensive coordinator . He was informed of this decision on January 18 . The Titans ranked 26th in total yards allowed and 29th against the pass in the 2010 season . On February 16 , 2011 , ESPN . com reported that Cecil will interview with the Pittsburgh Steelers to be their next secondary coach . He would fill the void left by Ray Horton when he departed to become the defensive coordinator of the Arizona Cardinals . On February 13 , 2012 , he was hired as the St . Louis Rams defensive secondary coach . ( http : / / www . stltoday . com / sports / football / professional / no - nonsense - cecil - to - coach - rams - secondary / article _ c76cbbf8 - 3b63 - 5943 - bfdd - 60b30dec8aa8 . html ) Personal . Cecil is married to author , columnist and television producer , Carrie Gerlach Cecil . The two have one daughter , Charli .