What you should know about the first year of Michigan Football DC

The first half of the top-10 game between Michigan and Texas did not go according to plan for the Wolverines.

The No. 3 Longhorns, led by quarterback Quinn Ewers, built a 24-3 halftime lead at the expense of No. 10 Michigan and new defensive coordinator Wink Martindale. Ewers completed 18 of 26 passes for 203 yards and two touchdowns in the first half as the Wolverines’ defense offered little resistance.

The Longhorns held the ball for 19:06 minutes in the first half, managed 8 of 10 third downs and converted 15 first downs. On 45 plays in the first half, Texas averaged 6.2 yards per play.

Fans take notice of coordinators when teams struggle, like Michigan did in the first half, or when they get poached. Here’s what you need to know about Wink Martindale and his coaching career:

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Who is Wink Martindale?

Don “Wink” Martindale, 61, was born on May 19, 1963 in Dayton, Ohio. He began his coaching career at his alma mater, Defiance College in Division III football.

On Feb. 9, coach Sherrone Moore named him the Wolverines’ defensive coordinator. Martindale, who will mutually part ways with the NFL’s New York Giants after the 2023 NFL season, is in his first college football job since serving as defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach for Western Kentucky in 2003.

In 2004, Martindale was hired by the then-Oakland Raiders as their linebackers coach before being hired by the Denver Broncos for the same position in 2009. After just one year, he was promoted to the Broncos’ defensive coordinator. Martindale did not coach during the 2011 season, but was hired by the Baltimore Ravens as their linebackers coach in 2012. He was part of the team when the Ravens defeated the San Francisco 49ers 34-31 in Super Bowl XLVII in 2013.

Martindale was promoted to DC for the Ravens from 2018 to 2021 and assumed the same role with the Giants in February 2022, less than a month after amicably parting ways with the Ravens. In 2023, Martindale received the Paul “Dr. Z” Zimmerman Award, given to an NFL assistant for lifetime achievement.

Wink Martindale’s coaching history

Here’s a look at Martindale’s coaching career. He started as an assistant coach in 1986 and has coached at college and in the NFL for the 38 years he’s been working since then.

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1986-87: Defiance, defensive coordinator
1994-95: Notre Dame, Assistant
1996-98: Cincinnati, special teams and linebackers coach
1999: Western Michigan, defensive coordinator and linebacker coach
2000-03: Western Michigan, defensive coordinator and inside linebacker coach
2004-08: Oakland Raiders, linebackers coach
2009: Denver Broncos, linebackers coach
2010: Denver Broncos, defensive coordinator
2012-17: Baltimore Ravens, linebackers coach
2018-21: Baltimore Ravens, defensive coordinator
2022-23: New York Giants, defensive coordinator
2024: Michigan, defensive coordinator

Who is Wink Martindale?

Wink Martindale’s coaching history

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