Former NFL Europe Coach Jeff Reinebold New Defensive Coordinator For CFL’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Kent Austin, vice president of football operations and head coach of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, announced Monday that Jeff Reinebold has been promoted to defensive coordinator of the football club. Reinebold had previously served as the team’s special teams coordinator for the last four seasons and also as linebackers coach since 2014.
“Jeff is an intelligent, experienced football coach that has been a leader on our staff for the past four years,” said Austin. “His familiarity with our players, coaches and staff will allow for a smooth transition and speaks to our emphasis on the importance of continuity within our organization.”
Reinebold, 59, will enter his fifth season with the Tiger-Cats in 2017. He joined the team as special teams coordinator in 2013, adding the role of linebackers coach the following year. The South Bend, Indiana, native has nearly 35 years of coaching experience, including 13 years at the CFL level.
Under Reinebold’s tutelage, the Tiger-Cats special teams and linebacking units have had tremendous success both from an individual player and team perspective. Wide receiver and kick returner Brandon Banks has been named a CFL All-Star twice (2014, 2015), an East Division All-Star in three consecutive seasons (2014-16), and won the 2015 John Agro Award as the league’s Most Outstanding Special Teams Player. Linebacker Simoni Lawrence has also been named an East Division All-Star in three consecutive seasons (2014-16), and was named the East Division’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player and a CFL All-Star in 2015.
The Tiger-Cats have led the CFL in special teams touchdowns in each of the last two seasons. In 2015 specifically, Hamilton scored six touchdowns on special teams, including four punt return majors by Banks, and two additional touchdowns on a blocked punt and an onside punt recovery. Overall, the Tiger-Cats had six blocked kicks, while the rest of the league combined for just 12 in total. Banks also returned a missed single-point convert attempt for the first missed convert return score in the history of the CFL, and had two additional kick return touchdowns negated by penalties.
Prior to joining the Ticats, Reinebold served as Defensive Coordinator for the Montreal Alouettes in 2012. His coaching experience at the CFL level also includes various roles with the B.C. Lions (1991-93, 1996), Las Vegas Posse (1994), Edmonton Eskimos (1995), and a two-year stint as head coach of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1997-98).
Well known in Europe
Jeff Reinebold’s name is well known in the European football community. In fact, his European adventure began in 1996 when he was a coach of the Rhein Fire of NFL Europe. After coaching stops in both the CFL, NFL Europe again and the NCAA, he returned to NFL Europe in 2004 as senior manager of international player development and it was those connections that led him to Sky Sports to serve as an emergency replacement for one of the other American studio analysts who couldn’t make a broadcast.
Sky Sports commentator
He has been doing it ever since. He currently handles the TV color commentary on NFL games and the Super Bowl for Skysports, co hosting the biggest NFL podcast outside of North America – Inside The Huddle.
He is part of a two man team with Neil Reynolds, also a former NFL Europe executive, on the show. It airs at least once a week from London, year round, so over the years he has had to scramble to make it work. He has even handled it from the beaches of Costa Rica once on a surf vacation. For the dedicated “water man” – surfing and paddling are passions – it was only natural.
Check out Jeff Reinebold’s complete football bio here.
