Greg Roman
Gregory P. Roman (born August 19, 1972) is an American football coach who is the offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as an assistant coach for the Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers, Houston Texans and Carolina Panthers.
 Roman in 2015 | |
| Baltimore Ravens | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Offensive coordinator |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | August 19, 1972 Atlantic City, New Jersey |
| Height: | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) |
| Weight: | 255 lb (116 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Holy Spirit (Absecon, New Jersey) |
| College: | John Carroll |
| Career history | |
| As coach: | |
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Coaching stats at PFR | |
Since becoming the Ravens' offensive coordinator in the 2019 season, Roman has been credited with implementing a new style of offense, centered around quarterback Lamar Jackson,[1][2] which helped propel them to a 14–2 record and the AFC North division title.
Early life and playing career
Roman was born in Atlantic City, New Jersey and grew up in nearby Ventnor. He and his two older brothers were raised by his mom after his parents divorced, Roman never had a relationship with his father.[3] At age 10, with his family strapped for cash, Roman got his first job as a paperboy for the Atlantic City Press; during the summers he worked as a "runner" on the beaches of South Jersey. The money he made, in addition to helping to support his family, helped him to pay for his education at a nearby private high school.[3] He graduated from Holy Spirit High School in Absecon, New Jersey where he played football for the Holy Spirit Spartans. In his senior year at Holy Spirit, he was named to the All-South Jersey team.[4] After graduation in 1991, Roman got an academic scholarship to attend John Carroll University in the Cleveland suburbs.[5][3]
Roman played football for the John Carroll Blue Streaks for three years, winning the starting job as a defensive lineman in his last two years. He earned All-Ohio Athletic Conference honorable mention status following his senior season in which he recorded 80 tackles and six sacks. That year the Blue Streaks defense allowed a league-low 98 points in 10 games and enabled the John Carroll University football team to capture a share of the OAC championship. Roman finished his collegiate career with 145 tackles, 20.0 tackles-for-loss and 9.5 sacks.[6]
Coaching career
Carolina Panthers
Roman's first coaching job was with the Carolina Panthers in 1995, where he started as the unpaid strength and conditioning coach.[3]
Houston Texans
In 2002, Roman was hired by the expansion Houston Texans as their tight ends and quarterbacks coach.
Baltimore Ravens (first stint)
In 2006, Roman was hired by the Baltimore Ravens as an offensive line assistant.[7]
Holy Spirit HS
In 2008, Roman returned to his alma mater and served as the offensive coordinator at Holy Spirit High School.
Stanford
In 2009, Roman was hired as tight ends and offensive tackles coach at Stanford, serving under head coach Jim Harbaugh. In 2010, Roman was a finalist for the Broyles Award, given annually to the nation's top college football assistant coach.
San Francisco 49ers
When Harbaugh left Stanford in 2011 to become head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, Roman followed and was named the offensive coordinator.[8] He remained at the position until 2014.
Buffalo Bills
On January 12, 2015, Roman was hired by the Buffalo Bills to be their offensive coordinator under newly hired head coach Rex Ryan. On September 16, 2016, Roman was relieved of his duties after a 37–31 loss to the New York Jets. [9]
Baltimore Ravens (second stint)
| External video | |
|---|---|
 Greg Roman's 2019 preseason press conference Ravens video |
In 2017, the Ravens (coached by Jim Harbaugh's brother John) hired Roman as a senior offensive assistant and tight ends coach; in 2018 he was promoted to assistant head coach and tight ends coach. In 2019, the Ravens opted to completely revamp the offense and the then offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg decided to retire. Roman, who had coached Colin Kaepernick at San Francisco was promoted to offensive coordinator and tasked with the development of a new, dynamic offense.[1] This new offense would be a combination of his experiences as a tight ends coach and the knowledge he had gained from reading hundreds of football books[3] centered on the Ravens new quarterback, Lamar Jackson and running back Mark Ingram Jr..[1][2] In Roman's first full season in charge of the Ravens' offense, after 12 games, the team averaged 33.8 points per game; best in the NFL.[10]
References
- "Ravens Promote Greg Roman To Offensive Coordinator". pressboxonline.com. PRESSBOX. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
- Gillis, Andrew. "How Greg Roman turned the Ravens' offense into the talk of the NFL". nbcsports.com. NBC Sports Washington. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
- Branch, Eric. "49ers' Greg Roman: Up through the ranks". pressdemocrat.com. The Press Democrat. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
- "Offensive Coordinator". baltimoreravens.com. Baltimore Ravens. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
- Staff. "Agent says Ventnor native Greg Roman a finalist for Penn State job", The Press of Atlantic City, January 3, 2012. Accessed September 10, 2012. "San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Greg Roman, a Ventnor native and Holy Spirit High School graduate, is a finalist for the Penn State football head-coaching job, his agent said Monday."
- "Player Bio Greg Roman". gostanford.com. Stanford University. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
- Branch, Eric (September 13, 2012). "Genesis of 49ers' jumbo formations: Holy Spirit High School". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
- 49ers coach adds Greg Roman, Vic Fangio atop staff
- Greg Roman signs to be Buffalo Bills Offensive Coordinator under Rex Ryan.
- Hensley, Jamison. "Greg Roman's wisecracking rise from high school coach to Ravens' offensive guru". espn.com. ESPN. Retrieved December 6, 2019.