As a former special teams coach for the Philadelphia Eagles, John Harbaugh knew the importance of special teams when he was hired as the Baltimore Ravens head coach. Harbaugh pushed to make sure one of his long-time friends Jerry Rosburg came to Baltimore with him.
“We came in together 11 years ago and before that, Jerry has been my best friend for 25 years. It was really important to me to have him by my side. Without Jerry Rosburg here, there’s no way we could have the success we had and be here today,” Harbaugh said.
While the Ravens have always had a trademark of being an outstanding defensive team, under Harbaugh and Rosburg the special teams unit was elevated to an elite level. They’ve been together on the Ravens since 2008.
Kicker Justin Tucker’s 90.1 field goal percentage is among the most accurate ever. Punter Sam Koch is a perennial Pro Bowler and long snapper; and Morgan Cox has been named to multiple Pro Bowls as well.
Rosburg also served as associate head coach for Harbaugh. He played an integral role in the Ravens success, which has yielded a Super Bowl win and multiple trips deep into the playoffs.
The work of an NFL coach comes with collateral damage. Coaches lose valuable family time and miss numerous special events. Rosburg credited his wife Sherry for doing an excellent job of maintaining their household while he put in so much time at work. He and his wife have three children— Meghan, Jarred and Margaret.
Rosburg loved his job, but made an understandable decision to focus more on his family.
“I had the best job in the world with the best boss in the world,” Rosburg said. “The reasons for my retirement are numerous, all of which are personal. I have a lot of plans. My plans center around my family and I don’t want to miss anymore hockey and volleyball games.”
Rosburg kept his retirement press conference brief before exiting the stage without fielding questions.
He left the focus to turn to Harbaugh and Chris Horton who will replace him after serving the last five years as a special teams assistant.
Rosburg will initially be available in a consultant capacity to ease the transition.
Harbaugh described Rosburg’s departure best when he quoted Douglas MacArthur, “True soldiers never die they just fade away.”