NFL coach Mike McDaniel has become one of the most recognizable faces in football in recent years.
But he looked a completely different person from when he began his pro football coaching career.
Mike McDaniel saw his Miami Dolphins team win on Black Friday at the New York Jets[/caption] He was a coaching assistant at the Houston Texans in 2006[/caption]McDaniel, 40, has become a style icon during his spell leading the Miami Dolphins.
He is in his second season in charge of the Dolphins and has his team atop the AFC East with an 8-3 record.
McDaniel never played in the league, and instead was a student of the game who began coaching in his mid 20s.
His first job was as an intern with the Denver Broncos in 2005.
And he became an offensive assistant for the Houston Texans in 2006.
A photo of McDaniel wearing Texans uniform that year shows him looking unrecognizable from now.
McDaniel sported a crew cut and looked fresh faced for the portrait.
The 40-year-old spent three seasons with the Texans before a brief spell in the United Football League.
He was back in the NFL as an offensive assistant and later wide receivers coach with Washington from 2011 to 2013.
McDaniel was also wide receiver coach for the Cleveland Browns in 2014.
And he spent 2015 and 2016 with the Atlanta Falcons as an offensive assistant.
His big break came with the San Francisco 49ers when he was run-game coordinator from 2017 to 2020.
And McDaniel stepped up to offensive coordinator in 2021, leading a dynamic group.
That caught the eye of the Dolphins, and they moved to bring him in as head coach in 2022.
Miami reached the playoffs last year with a 9-8 record but were beaten by the Buffalo Bills 34-31 in the Wild Card round.
This year, McDaniel has the Dolphins looking unrecognizable from some of their struggles in the 2000s and 2010s.
The 40-year-old coach has the men from Florida in a strong position for a deep playoff run.