| Dale Lindsey | |
| Birth Date: | 18 January 1943 |
| Birth Place: | Bedford, Indiana, U.S. |
| Player Years1: | 1961 |
| Player Team1: | Kentucky |
| Player Years2: | 1962–1964 |
| Player Team2: | Western Kentucky |
| Player Years3: | 1965–1972 |
| Player Team3: | Cleveland Browns |
| Player Years4: | 1973 |
| Player Team4: | New Orleans Saints |
| Player Positions: | Linebacker |
| Coach Years1: | 1974 |
| Coach Team1: | Cleveland Browns (LB) |
| Coach Years2: | 1975 |
| Coach Team2: | Portland Thunder (DC) |
| Coach Years3: | 1977–1978 |
| Coach Team3: | Warren Central HS (KY) |
| Coach Years4: | 1978–1980 |
| Coach Team4: | Toronto Argonauts (LB) |
| Coach Years5: | 1981–1982 |
| Coach Team5: | Toronto Argonauts (DC) |
| Coach Years6: | 1983 |
| Coach Team6: | Boston Breakers (LB) |
| Coach Years7: | 1984–1985 |
| Coach Team7: | New Jersey Generals (DC/LB) |
| Coach Years8: | 1986–1987 |
| Coach Team8: | Green Bay Packers (LB) |
| Coach Years9: | 1989 |
| Coach Team9: | SMU (DC) |
| Coach Years10: | 1990 |
| Coach Team10: | New England Patriots (DL) |
| Coach Years11: | 1991 |
| Coach Team11: | Tampa Bay Buccaneers (LB) |
| Coach Years12: | 1992–1996 |
| Coach Team12: | San Diego Chargers (LB) |
| Coach Years13: | 1997–1998 |
| Coach Team13: | Washington Redskins (LB) |
| Coach Years14: | 1999–2001 |
| Coach Team14: | Chicago Bears (LB) |
| Coach Years15: | 2002–2003 |
| Coach Team15: | San Diego Chargers (DC) |
| Coach Years16: | 2004–2006 |
| Coach Team16: | Washington Redskins (LB) |
| Coach Years17: | 2007 |
| Coach Team17: | San Diego (LB) |
| Coach Years18: | 2009–2010 |
| Coach Team18: | New Mexico State (AHC/LB) |
| Coach Years19: | 2011 |
| Coach Team19: | New Mexico State (DC) |
| Coach Years20: | 2012 |
| Coach Team20: | San Diego (DC) |
| Coach Years21: | 2013–2022 |
| Coach Team21: | San Diego |
| Overall Record: | 80–30 (college) |
| Tournament Record: | 2–4 (NCAA D-I playoffs) |
| Championships: | 7 PFL (2014–2019, 2021) |
| Awards: | Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Jersey No. 44 retired 3× PFL Coach of the Year (2014, 2016, 2019) |
Phillip Dale Lindsey (born January 18, 1943) is an American football coach and former player. He was the head football coach at the University of San Diego.[1] [2] Lindsey has also worked as a coach in the National Football League (NFL), the Canadian Football League (CFL), and the United States Football League (USFL).
Lindsey attended and played high school football at Bowling Green High School in Bowling Green, Kentucky, where he was an All-State player.
After high school, Lindsey signed with the University of Kentucky, where he was part of the infamous Thin Thirty team, but quit the team in the spring of his freshman year. He then transferred to Western Kentucky University, where he starred on the Hilltoppers's undefeated 1963 team that won the Tangerine Bowl.
Lindsey was drafted in the seventh round of the 1965 NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns, where he played from 1965 to 1972. He then signed with the New Orleans Saints in 1973.
After his playing career, Lindsey was a coach for several different NFL teams, including the Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Redskins, Chicago Bears and the San Diego Chargers. He was also a coach for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League and the Boston Breakers and the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League.
In 1988, Lindsey joined Forrest Gregg at SMU. As the defensive coordinator, he helped to revitalize the historic SMU football program after the NCAA executed its one and only death penalty for a college football program. During the 1989 season, SMU's first season back after 1987, Lindsey's defense was instrumental in SMU's wins over UConn and North Texas.
He was terminated as the linebackers coach for the Washington Redskins on January 16, 2007.[3] This was his second stint with Washington. He was one of several former NFL coordinators serving as a position coach on the Redskins' coach staff.
Lindsey was hired as the head coach for the University of San Diego in 2012, a position he held through the 2022 season. The school announced his retirement following the season, but Lindsey maintains he was fired.[4] At the time of his departure he had the most wins of any head coach in school history and held the fourth highest winning percentage in FCS football.[5]
Lindsey, now a resident of San Diego, lost his home in the wildfires of October 2007.