UW

Falcons hire ex-UW coach Steve Sarkisian as offensive coordinator

Feb 7, 2017, 9:41 AM | Updated: 9:52 am

The Atlanta Falcons announced Tuesday that they’ve hired ex-University of Washington head coach Steve Sarkisian as their new offensive coordinator.

Sarkisian, who was recently promoted to offensive coordinator at Alabama, will replace former Atlanta OC Kyle Shanahan, who was named the San Francisco 49ers’ head coach on Monday. Sarkisian called plays for Alabama during the team’s College Football Playoff championship game loss to Clemson. Alabama’s previous OC, Lane Kiffin, left the school to become Florida Atlantic’s new head coach.

Sarkisian, 42, has had a topsy-turvy personal life throughout his coaching career, leading the Huskies to a 34-29 record from 2009-13 and leaving the school for USC prior to Washington’s bowl game. USC fired Sarkisian in 2015 amid reports that describe a serious problem with alcohol abuse. The firing came not long after a widely publicized incident in which Sarkisian appeared to be intoxicated at a preseason team function. He later sought treatment for substance abuse and sued USC, alleging the school breached the coach’s contract and discriminated against him on the basis of a disability.

Sarkisian was an assistant coach for Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll at USC. In October of 2015, Carroll said of Sarkisian’s personal issues, “It breaks my heart to see how this has gone.” ESPN Seattle’s John Clayton mused at the time that he wouldn’t be surprised to see Sarkisian on the Seahawks’ staff in some capacity in the future.

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