INDIANAPOLIS — A whirlwind afternoon for the Indianapolis Colts and their fans has landed former center Jeff Saturday, 47, in the head coach's office at the Colts facility on W. 56th Street.
Owner Jim Irsay announced Jeff Saturday as the team’s head coach for the rest of the season after he also announced the Colts were 'parting ways' with Frank Reich.
Saturday spent 13 years with the Colts, including a dozen as the team’s starting center. He was a 1998 graduate of the University of North Carolina before receiving a call to come to join the Colts as an offensive lineman.
After his time with the Colts, Saturday played one year with the Green Bay Packers. In his career, Saturday was selected for the Pro Bowl six times.
He is a Colts Ring of Honor inductee.
Since the end of his playing days, Saturday has spent time as an analyst for ESPN.
He has also served as a consultant for the Colts.
For three years, Saturday was the head coach at Hebron Christian Academy in Dacula, Ga.
The Saturday hiring caught NFL fans and analysts around the world off guard. Saturday will be the first head coach to take the field in the NFL without any college or NFL experience since former quarterback Norm Van Brocklin did so in 1961.
The move also comes with multiple former head coaches already on the Colts staff.
Both defensive coordinator Gus Bradley and senior defensive assistant John Fox were formerly head coaches.
The Colts have started the season 3-5-1.
Monday's move follows a string of moves in recent weeks. Last week the team fired offensive coordinator Marcus Brady and two weeks ago the team benched starting quarterback Matt Ryan for Sam Ehlinger.
The Colts are 0-2 with Ehlinger under center, but remain just two games out of first place in the AFC South.
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