Robert Saleh, recently introduced as the Tennessee Titans’ head coach, credits his coaching foundation to his father, Sam, according to ESPN. The coach’s early introduction to the game and his family’s role in Dearborn, Michigan, helped shape a career that has included promotions, firings, playoff runs and a Super Bowl appearance.
Saleh first encountered football at age 7 and described himself as “a little soft” when he started, according to ESPN. A defining moment came at 9 during an Oklahoma drill run by his father’s Pop Warner team; with Sam holding the ball and about to hike it, Robert refused to back down because he did not want to appear weak in front of his father, ESPN reported. The drill has since been discouraged by the NFL; the league asked teams to stop conducting Oklahoma drills in 2019 to reduce concussion risk.
The Salehs are a close-knit family of Lebanese descent, and Robert’s older brother, David, told ESPN that Sam was among the first from the Arab American community in Dearborn to make a mark in local football. Sam was a standout middle linebacker at Fordson High School, played at Eastern Michigan and earned a tryout with the Chicago Bears before a severe knee injury in training camp ended his professional hopes, ESPN reported. He later worked in construction and wanted to coach but focused on providing for his family.
Robert went on to be a four-year starter and an all-conference player at Northern Michigan, but the NFL was not in his playing future. After graduating in 2000, he took a job evaluating loan applications at Comerica Bank, earning about $800 per week, according to ESPN. Sam at first worried about the difficulty of climbing the coaching ladder while Robert worked in banking, but he was persuaded by his son’s conviction.
The Salehs’ experience on Sept. 11, 2001, also left an imprint on the family, ESPN reported: David had begun working for Morgan Stanley two days earlier on the 61st floor of the south tower and fled after the first plane struck the north tower, later contacting his family. The family later gathered on Jan. 19 when Robert was formally introduced as the Titans’ head coach, with Sam, Robert’s wife Sanaa and their eight children in attendance, according to ESPN.
