WILLIAMSBURG, VA (WTKR)- Mike London and Dan Quinn both served together on Jimmye Laycock's staff at William & Mary nearly 30 years ago. Now the current Tribe head coach is watching Quinn once again take control of an NFL team.
Quinn verbally agreed to become the next head coach of the Commanders on Thursday, a source close to the team confirmed to News 3. It will be his second go-round as a head coach in the NFL, after leading the Atlanta Falcons from 2015-2020. He was a defensive line coach at William & Mary in 1994, his first full-time coaching gig.
"He was very much in-tune to what he wanted to coach and teach and how he demonstrated it to the players, the love of the game, the passion for the game" London recalled. "Good person, good coach, good teacher. I know this is an opportunity for him that he welcomes and we wish him success."
Quinn takes over a team in Washington that is coming off a 4-13 season and was 26-40-1 in Ron Rivera's four seasons. He also moves to the closest NFL organization in terms of proximity to the Williamsburg campus he used to call home. London expects that will mean more frequent trips to see his former colleague and friend.
"Now the proximity is close enough, hopefully to go up and watch some games, go to their camps and just have more interactions with him."
The new Commanders' head coach also joins Sean McDermott and Mike Tomlin as leaders of NFL teams with a connection to the Tribe. McDermott's Bills and Tomlin's Steelers both advanced to the playoffs this season.
"His ties into William & Mary are great, as they are with a lot of coaches that are in the league right now," London pointed out. "Being able to call and congratulate him on this opportunity, it's a big deal, and then for him to respond back, 'hey, thank you,' that's class to me."
Quinn, who has been the defensive coordinator for the Cowboys the last three seasons, had a strong start to his head coaching career. The Falcons were 29-19 through his first three years and made a Super Bowl appearance, but the organization stumbled to a 14-23 mark his final two seasons, leading to his dismissal. London says it's great to see him get another shot.
"Obviously there's faith in the things that he's done over the course of his career," the Tribe head coach said. "There's people that he's been able to influence and impress enough that will give him an opportunity to be the next head coach with the Commanders."
Ultimately, the burgundy and gold are in desperate need of a winner. London thinks that in Quinn the Commanders are getting the total package, a coach who can create success both on and off the field.
"There's energy, there's a wealth of knowledge, there's a history of performance, there's a guy that loves football and loves the opportunity to do things that can put Washington on the path to playing in that final game," he noted.
Quinn takes the reins of a team that has the No. 2 overall pick in April's NFL Draft and will assemble his staff in the coming weeks. He'll look to become the first head coach of the franchise to post a winning record in his first season since George Allen in 1971. The Commanders have not had a winning record since 2016 and have not won a playoff game since the 2005 campaign.
