Scott Linehan was named the 22nd head coach in St. Louis Rams’ franchise history by owner/chairman Georgia Frontiere on January 19, 2006.

“It’s like picking a star for a movie,” Frontiere said in an interview with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “You want the right person. My first impression was that he was youthful and upbeat and had great energy. Just a down to earth person. Very genuine. He told me of his plans for the Rams, and it made me want to get the season started right away.”

Linehan quickly put his stamp on the Rams. He gave the ball to Steven Jackson, who restored the integrity of the Rams’ running game, became a Pro Bowl player in his third season, and revealed himself as a dangerous pass receiver out of the backfield.

Jackson's 346 rushing attempts were the most by a Ram since Eric Dickerson’s 404 in 1986 and his 1,528 yards were third highest in the NFC. Jackson led the NFC with 105 first downs and led the NFL with 2,334 rushing and pass receiving yards. Jackson was first among NFL running backs with 90 pass receptions and became only the seventh player in history to rush for at least 150 yards and gain at least 100 yards pass receiving in one game. Jackson is the touchstone of the emerging Rams team, but other Rams also have profited in the Linehan’s system. Quarterback Marc Bulger passed for more than 4,000 yards for the first time and set a Rams record with a 1.4 interception percentage and 588 passing attempts. Bulger’s 370 completions (for 24 touchdowns) were second in Rams history. Wide receivers Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce combined for 167 pass receptions as each continued on his path to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Linehan’s most important contributions weren’t measured in offensive statistics.

The first-year head coach stabilized a team that in 2005 struggled through a coaching change in mid-season and finished with a 6-10 record, seven games behind the NFC West-winning Seattle Seahawks.

Linehan showed a steel resolve and evenness when the Rams endured seven losses in eight games in the middle of the season. The stretch included two crushing defeats in which Seattle came from behind to win on game-ending field goals. The Rams rallied with three straight victories for a final record of 8-8 and remained in playoff contention until the next-to-last day of the season.

The strong finish of 2006 was a springboard to an equally impressive off-season that saw Linehan and the Rams aggressively address a myriad of needs. They signed such free agents as Drew Bennett, Randy McMichael, Chris Draft, and Todd Johnson, and traded for James Hall, Dante Hall, Donnie Jones, and others.

Linehan joined the Rams after one season as offensive coordinator of the Miami Dolphins, who improved from 29th in the NFL in total offense in 2004 to 14th in 2005 and from 31st in rushing to 12th. The Dolphins finished the season with six consecutive victories.

Linehan was offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach for the Minnesota Vikings from 2002-2004. The Vikings’ offense ranked second, first and fourth respectively during his tenure. Quarterback Daunte Culpepper’s 110.9 passer rating in 2003 was fourth-highest in NFL history. The Vikings scored 290 points the year before Linehan joined them 390, 416, and 405 in three Linehan’s three seasons.

Linehan coached collegiately for 13 years on teams that played in seven bowl games, won five conference titles (one Pac-10, two Conference USA, and two Big Sky). Five of Linehan’s quarterbacks were drafted by NFL teams: Louisville’s Chris Redman and Dave Ragone, Washington’s Brock Huard and Marques Tuiasosopo, and Idaho’s Doug Nussmeier, who serves the Rams as quarterbacks coach.

Linehan’s final collegiate position was as offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Louisville from 1999-2001. The Cardinals went to three bowl games and became the first Conference USA team to win consecutive league championships. A Louisville quarterback earned Conference USA Player of the Year honors in each of Linehan’s three seasons.

The Rams’ coach moved to Louisville after five years at the University of Washington. The Huskies advanced to four bowl games and won the 1995 Pac-10 title. Scott also was offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Idaho, his alma mater, for two seasons (1992-93), quarterbacks coach at Nevada-Las Vegas (1991), and wide receivers coach at Idaho (1989-90). Idaho led the nation in scoring (47.5 points a game) and total offense (532 yards a game) in 1993.

Linehan played quarterback for Dennis Erickson’s Idaho Vandals from 1982-86. The Vandals won the Big Sky Championship in 1985 and earned Division I-AA playoff appearances in three straight seasons (1984-86). Linehan signed as a rookie free agent with the Dallas Cowboys in 1987. A shoulder injury ended his playing career.

Born in Sunnyside, Washington, Linehan is married to Kristen. They are the parents of sons Matthew (12), Michael (10), and Marcus (6).