Mike Gillhamer enters his second year as the secondary coach for the Indianapolis Colts. Gillhamer holds 34 years of coaching experience as 2013 marks his 13th season coaching in the NFL.
In his first season with the Colts, Gillhamer coached a secondary which assisted in tying a team record with four interceptions returned for touchdowns. Three cornerbacks, including Darius Butler (Week 10), Vontae Davis (Week 17) and Cassius Vaughn (Week 14) earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors while safety Antoine Bethea garnered Ed Block Courage Award accolades. The secondary also combined for 10 of the team’s 12 interceptions while collectively totaling 49 passes defensed.
Davis and Vaughn were acquired by the Colts through trades prior to the start of the regular season. Davis notched 53 tackles, 1.0 sack, three interceptions and eight passes defensed while tying a single-game career-high with two interceptions in Week 17 against Houston. Vaughn ranked fourth on the team with 70 stops while adding one interception and nine passes defensed. He returned his lone interception for a touchdown in the team’s victory in Week 14 against Tennessee. Darius Butler, who was signed as a free agent in September, compiled 30 tackles while leading the team with four interceptions. He also contributed with eight passes defensed, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. Butler’s four interceptions and two returned for touchdowns both set career highs. He also became the fourth Colts player since 1984 to record three-or-more takeaways in a single game during the team’s Week 10 win at Jacksonville. Cornerback Jerraud Powers, who started eight games before being placed on Injured Reserve, posted 45 tackles, one interception and eight passes defensed. His interception against Green Bay (Week 5) sparked the team’s comeback victory from a 21-3 deficit in the third quarter.
Gillhamer also oversaw safeties Antoine Bethea and Tom Zbikowski. Bethea ranked second on the team with 114 tackles, topping the 100-tackle mark for the fifth consecutive season while reaching the 800-tackle plateau for his career. Zbikowski registered 47 stops, 1.0 sack, one interception and five passes defensed.
Possessing over three decades of coaching experience, Gillhamer made an immediate impact with the Illinois secondary prior to joining the Colts. The unit helped lead the school to a No. 4 national ranking in pass defense in 2011. His four starters in the secondary all ranked in the top nine on the team in tackles.
Prior to coaching at Illinois, Gillhamer spent seven seasons with the Carolina Panthers (2004-2010), working with the safeties and secondary unit. In his first season with Carolina in 2004, his tutelage played a role in the Panthers defense that led the NFL with a team-record 26 interceptions and ranked second in the league with 38 takeaways.
Before his time with the Panthers, Gillhamer was the defensive coordinator and safeties coach at Louisville in 2003, and the secondary coach at Oregon from 2001-02. He helped the Ducks to a Fiesta Bowl victory and a final No. 2 national ranking in 2001.
Gillhamer began his NFL coaching career as an offensive assistant with the New York Giants in 1997. He assisted with the running backs during his first three seasons before taking over as the running backs coach in 2000. The Giants advanced to the Super Bowl and ranked third in the NFC in rushing in 2000.
Gillhamer broke into coaching at the College of Sequoias in Visalia, Calif., from 1979-1983, overseeing the defensive line for one season before coaching the defensive backs for the remainder of his tenure. He was then the defensive backs coach at Weber State in 1984, Utah from 1985-89 and San Jose State from 1990-93. Gillhamer moved to Nevada from 1994-95, where he handled the secondary in his first season and served as the defensive coordinator in 1995. He also worked as the secondary coach at Rutgers in 1996. Gillhamer served as a guest assistant coach with the Ottawa Rough Riders in the Canadian Football League in 1988.
A native of Fresno, Calif., Gillhamer played defensive back at Carroll College (Mont.) in 1972, Wenatchee Junior College (Wash.) in 1973 and Humboldt State (Calif.) from 1974-75, where he was named the team's most valuable defensive back as a senior. He also played baseball and ran track for the Lumberjacks. Gillhamer graduated with a degree in physical education from Humboldt State in 1976 and received his master's degree in special education in 1981.
Gillhamer has two daughters, Meagen and Taylor.
Coaching Career
1979 College of the Sequoias Defensive Line
1980-1983 College of the Sequoias Secondary
1984 Weber State Secondary
1985-1989 Utah Secondary
1990-1993 San Jose State Secondary
1994 Nevada Secondary
1995 Nevada Defensive Coordinator
1996 Rutgers Secondary
1997-1999 New York Giants Offensive Assistant
2000 New York Giants Running Backs
2001-2002 Oregon Secondary
2003 Louisville Defensive Coordinator/Safeties
2004-2008 Carolina Panthers Safeties
2009-2010 Carolina Panthers Secondary
2011 Illinois Secondary
2012-2013 Indianapolis Colts Secondary
Mike Gillhamer enters his second year as the secondary coach for the Indianapolis Colts. Gillhamer holds 34 years of coaching experience as 2013 marks his 13th season coaching in the NFL.
In his first season with the Colts, Gillhamer coached a secondary which assisted in tying a team record with four interceptions returned for touchdowns. Three cornerbacks, including Darius Butler (Week 10), Vontae Davis (Week 17) and Cassius Vaughn (Week 14) earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors while safety Antoine Bethea garnered Ed Block Courage Award accolades. The secondary also combined for 10 of the team’s 12 interceptions while collectively totaling 49 passes defensed.
Davis and Vaughn were acquired by the Colts through trades prior to the start of the regular season. Davis notched 53 tackles, 1.0 sack, three interceptions and eight passes defensed while tying a single-game career-high with two interceptions in Week 17 against Houston. Vaughn ranked fourth on the team with 70 stops while adding one interception and nine passes defensed. He returned his lone interception for a touchdown in the team’s victory in Week 14 against Tennessee. Darius Butler, who was signed as a free agent in September, compiled 30 tackles while leading the team with four interceptions. He also contributed with eight passes defensed, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. Butler’s four interceptions and two returned for touchdowns both set career highs. He also became the fourth Colts player since 1984 to record three-or-more takeaways in a single game during the team’s Week 10 win at Jacksonville. Cornerback Jerraud Powers, who started eight games before being placed on Injured Reserve, posted 45 tackles, one interception and eight passes defensed. His interception against Green Bay (Week 5) sparked the team’s comeback victory from a 21-3 deficit in the third quarter.
Gillhamer also oversaw safeties Antoine Bethea and Tom Zbikowski. Bethea ranked second on the team with 114 tackles, topping the 100-tackle mark for the fifth consecutive season while reaching the 800-tackle plateau for his career. Zbikowski registered 47 stops, 1.0 sack, one interception and five passes defensed.
Possessing over three decades of coaching experience, Gillhamer made an immediate impact with the Illinois secondary prior to joining the Colts. The unit helped lead the school to a No. 4 national ranking in pass defense in 2011. His four starters in the secondary all ranked in the top nine on the team in tackles.
Prior to coaching at Illinois, Gillhamer spent seven seasons with the Carolina Panthers (2004-2010), working with the safeties and secondary unit. In his first season with Carolina in 2004, his tutelage played a role in the Panthers defense that led the NFL with a team-record 26 interceptions and ranked second in the league with 38 takeaways.
Before his time with the Panthers, Gillhamer was the defensive coordinator and safeties coach at Louisville in 2003, and the secondary coach at Oregon from 2001-02. He helped the Ducks to a Fiesta Bowl victory and a final No. 2 national ranking in 2001.
Gillhamer began his NFL coaching career as an offensive assistant with the New York Giants in 1997. He assisted with the running backs during his first three seasons before taking over as the running backs coach in 2000. The Giants advanced to the Super Bowl and ranked third in the NFC in rushing in 2000.
Gillhamer broke into coaching at the College of Sequoias in Visalia, Calif., from 1979-1983, overseeing the defensive line for one season before coaching the defensive backs for the remainder of his tenure. He was then the defensive backs coach at Weber State in 1984, Utah from 1985-89 and San Jose State from 1990-93. Gillhamer moved to Nevada from 1994-95, where he handled the secondary in his first season and served as the defensive coordinator in 1995. He also worked as the secondary coach at Rutgers in 1996. Gillhamer served as a guest assistant coach with the Ottawa Rough Riders in the Canadian Football League in 1988.
A native of Fresno, Calif., Gillhamer played defensive back at Carroll College (Mont.) in 1972, Wenatchee Junior College (Wash.) in 1973 and Humboldt State (Calif.) from 1974-75, where he was named the team's most valuable defensive back as a senior. He also played baseball and ran track for the Lumberjacks. Gillhamer graduated with a degree in physical education from Humboldt State in 1976 and received his master's degree in special education in 1981.
Gillhamer has two daughters, Meagen and Taylor.
Coaching Career
1979 College of the Sequoias Defensive Line
1980-1983 College of the Sequoias Secondary
1984 Weber State Secondary
1985-1989 Utah Secondary
1990-1993 San Jose State Secondary
1994 Nevada Secondary
1995 Nevada Defensive Coordinator
1996 Rutgers Secondary
1997-1999 New York Giants Offensive Assistant
2000 New York Giants Running Backs
2001-2002 Oregon Secondary
2003 Louisville Defensive Coordinator/Safeties
2004-2008 Carolina Panthers Safeties
2009-2010 Carolina Panthers Secondary
2011 Illinois Secondary
2012-2013 Indianapolis Colts Secondary
