During the season, Mike Tanier noted that Shane Lechler has played for eight different coaches while being a member of the Raiders. When I read it, I thought that sounded like the start of a really good trivia question, and I put figuring out the answer to that question on my offseason to-do list. Sadly, the offseason is here.

Lechler and his special teams brother Sebastian Janikowski are two of only four players since 1960 to play for eight different coaches for the same franchise. Both Lechler and Janikowski were selected in the 2000 draft, and they each played under Jon Gruden, Bill Callahan, Norv Turner, Art Shell, Lane Kiffin, Tom Cable, Hue Jackson, and Dennis Allen.

You probably wouldn’t be surprised to find out that Jason Hanson, the Lions placekicker since 1874, has seen his share of head coaches come and go, too. The fourth player is Ernie McMillan, a four-time Pro Bowl tackle for the Cardinals in the ’60s and ’70s (and the father of Jets safety Erik McMillan), although he makes the list with an asterisk. McMillan played for Don Coryell in ’73 and ’74, Bob Hollway in ’71 and ’72, Charley Winner from ’66 to ’70 and Wally Lemm for four years before that. But in his rookie season of 1961, the Cardinals had four different head coaches, if you take a liberal definition of the word. St. Louis was coached by Pop Ivy for most of the season, but Chuck Drulis, Ray Prochaska, and Ray Willsey all served as the interim head coaches at the end of the year. In any event, I will include all co-coaches as separate coaches.

The table below shows all players to play under at least five different coaches for the same franchise since 1960. The first year with the team and the last year with a new coach for that team is indicated for each player, and I have taken the inclusive approach when it comes to co-coaches.
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