Dan ‘The Man’ came to Mississippi State in December of 2008 regarded as one of the great, young offensive minds in college football, and he proved it right away with the Bulldogs’ substantial improvement on that side of the ball in 2009.
The university and fans alike give Mullen credit for revitalizing a Bulldog football program that had been disappointing and largely non-competitive for the greater part of the last decade. In his first season at the helm MSU broke it’s all-time single-season attendance record by over 70,000, and in the spring of 2010 Bulldog fans set a record in the state of Mississippi with over 34,000 of them in Davis Wade stadium for the annual spring game.
A 1994 graduate of Ursinus College, Mullen got his first job as a coach at Bowling Green where he was the quarterbacks coach for two seasons and began a long streak of potent offenses with Urban Meyer.
When Meyer was hired as the coach of Utah, Mullen went with him and again coached the quarterbacks, including Alex Smith, who was a Heisman finalist and the No. 1 overall draft pick by the San Francisco 49ers.
The pair then went to Florida, and we all know what happened there. As the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, Mullen molded one of if not the most successful college quarterbacks of all time in Tim Tebow.
The Gators’ spread offense run by Mullen was considered a key part of UF’s BCS National Championships in 2006 and 2008.
With him in Starkville are his wife, Megan Mullen, their son Canon and, of course, their dog Heisman.
Photo Gallery
Coaching Career - 1994-95: Wagner (Wide Receivers)
– 1996-97: Columbia (Wide Receivers)
– 1998: Syracuse (Graduate Assistant, Offense)
– 1999-00: Notre Dame (Graduate Assistant, Offense)
– 2001-02: Bowling Green (Quarterbacks)
– 2003-04: Utah (Quarterbacks)
– 2005-08: Florida (Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks)
– 2009- Current: MSU Head Coach Bowl Games as a Coach - 1999: Orange
– 2001: Fiesta
– 2003: Liberty
– 2005: Fiesta
– 2006: Outback
– 2007: BCS National Championship Game
– 2008: Capital One
– 2009: BCS National Championship Game
– 2011: Gator Bowl NFL Players
(Round Drafted)
WR Dallas Baker (7th) – Florida 2007 – Pittsburgh Steelers
OG Lance Butler (FA) – Florida 2006 – Cleveland Browns
WR Andre Caldwell (3rd) – Florida 2008 – Cincinnati Bengals
OT Randy Hand (FA) – Florida 2006 – New England Patriots
QB Josh Harris (6th) – Bowling Green 2004 – Baltimore Ravens
WR Chad Jackson (2nd) – Florida 2006 – New England Patriots
QB Omar Jacobs (5th) – Bowling Green 2006 – Pittsburgh Steelers
QB Chris Leak (FA) – Florida 2007 – Chicago Bears
C Drew Miller (FA) – Florida 2008 – Jacksonville Jaguars
QB Alex Smith (1st) – Utah 2005 – San Francisco 49ers
OT Tavares Washington (FA) – Florida 2006 – San Francisco 49ers
RB Anthony Dixon – MSU 2010 – 49er’s
DT Kyle Love – MSU 2010 – New England Patriots
LB Jamar Chaney – MSU 2010 – Philladelphia Eagles
LB K.J. Wright – MSU 2011 – Seattle Seahawks
LB Chris White – MSU 2011 – Buffalo Bills
DE Pernell McPee- Baltimore Ravens
Personal Information
Birthdate: April 27, 1972
Hometown: Manchester, N.H.
Education:
1994 – Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise and Sport Science from Ursinus College;
1996 – Master’s Degree in Education from Wagner College
Family: Married to the former Megan West
Children: Canon
