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Houston • Drake University dropped football temporarily in the mid-1980s, long enough for Wade Harman to launch a 20-year NFL coaching career.
Here's how: Harman needed a place to play as a senior and followed former Drake coach Chuck Shelton from the Des Moines, Iowa, school to Utah State. Otherwise, he never would have aligned himself with Brian Billick, then the Aggies' offensive coordinator under Shelton.
Billick eventually brought him into the NFL with Minnesota in 1997. Harman has remained in the league ever since — including the past three seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, who will meet New England in Sunday's Super Bowl LI at NRG Stadium.
"None of that would have happened without [Billick]," Harman said.
This season, Harman established what's undoubtedly an NFL record for a tight ends coach: Five of his players caught at least one touchdown pass. That group includes former Utah State player D.J. Tialavea of West Jordan and rookie Joshua Perkins, who each scored via a reception from Matt Ryan in a Dec. 24 game at Carolina.
Using all five of those tight ends became necessary after veteran Jacob Tamme was placed on injured reserve in early November. Tialavea was signed from Atlanta's practice squad when rookie Austin Hooper was injured in late December. Hooper returned for both playoff games in January, joining Perkins and fourth-year player Levine Toilolo on the game-day active roster.
Harman is seeking a third Super Bowl victory after being the only member of Baltimore's staff involved in both championships in this century. Four years ago, former BYU tight end Dennis Pitta caught a touchdown pass for the Ravens in a Super Bowl win over San Francisco.
This has been a challenging and rewarding season for Harman, with a young group of tight ends. "He's been awesome," Toilolo said. "Everyone learns a different way, and I think coach Harman's done a great job of adjusting to each guy and being able to have everyone ready, come Sunday."
As a group, Atlanta's tight ends basically have matched Tamme's production of last season, thanks to a quarterback who spreads the ball around. Ryan's "got a lot of confidence in everybody," Harman said.
Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan's scheme is diverse enough that much is required of the tight ends, moving them around in various formations — which "piques their interest," Harman said, "and they know they've got opportunities to make plays all the time."
Harman played linebacker as a USU senior, ranking No. 2 on the team in tackles, then worked as a graduate assistant before becoming a full-time coach. He followed Shelton to Pacific in 1992 and stayed there four years — until he again was a victim of a shuttered program. But after spending one season at tiny Morningside College in Iowa, he got his NFL break when Billick, the Vikings' offensive coordinator, hired him as an offensive assistant.
Billick then became Baltimore's head coach. Harman joined him for all nine of Billick's seasons with the Ravens and stayed for six more years under John Harbaugh, who fired Harman after the 2013 season. Harman landed in Atlanta under former Falcons coach Mike Smith and was retained by Dan Quinn in 2015.
Twitter: @tribkurt —
Super Bowl Patriots vs. Falcons
P at Houston Feb. 5, 4:30 p..m. MST
TV • Ch. 13
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Harman's guys
Regular-season receiving statistics for Atlanta Falcons tight ends:
Player Rec. Yds. TD
Jacob Tamme 22 210 3
Austin Hooper 19 271 3
Levine Toilolo 13 264 2
Joshua Perkins 3 42 1
D.J. Tialavea 1 1 1
Totals 58 788 10