SEATTLE -- The XFL announced on Monday that former Seahawks quarterback and Washington Redskins head coach Jim Zorn has been named as the head coach and general manager of its Seattle franchise.
Zorn is the third head coach to be named for the revitalized football league set to begin play in February 2020. Pep Hamilton will coach the team based in Washington D.C. while Bob Stoops is the head coach of the Dallas franchise. St. Louis, Houston, Los Angeles, New York and Tampa Bay are the other five markets that will have teams. Head coaches for those franchises have yet to be named.
“I’m thrilled to be heading back to the sidelines, and I thank Vince McMahon and Oliver Luck for this opportunity,” said Zorn. “It’s not often that on the professional level a head coach also gets to choose his players, so this situation is truly unique. I’m looking forward to working with my coaches and staff to field a competitive, top-flight team for the amazing and loud football fans of the Pacific Northwest.”
Zorn spent seven seasons as the quarterbacks coach for Mike Holmgren with the Seahawks before being named as head coach of Washington in 2008. He was let go by Washington as head coach after the 2009 and returned to coaching quarterbacks with the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs.
“I’ve known Jim since we played against each when I was with the (Houston) Oilers and he was with the Seahawks,” XFL commissioner Oliver Luck said. “That goes back to the early ’80s and he has a stellar reputation, is a quality guy and a man of substance. He’s a very good coach and he’s had success. When I was talking with Matt Hasselback, he said, ‘Of all the quarterback coaches I’ve ever played for, Jim Zorn was by far the best.’
“He’s obviously well respected in this community and it gives us a tie to the passion that people have here for things Seattle."
Zorn threw for more than 21,000 yards during his NFL career with 111 touchdowns and rushed for 1,504 yards scoring 17 touchdowns.
Zorn began coaching in 1989 as an offensive assistant and quarterbacks coach at Boise State University. He became offensive coordinator at Utah State University in 1992 for three seasons before moving on to the University of Minnesota as quarterbacks coach for two seasons in 1995. Zorn became an NFL coach in 1997 when he became an offensive assistant with the Seahawks under Dennis Erickson.
Photo Credit: Jim Zorn is speaks at a press conference announcing being named as the head coach and general manager of the Seattle XFL franchise. (photo by Curtis Crabtree / Sports Radio 950 KJR)