Don Martindale

Don "Wink" Martindale (born May 19, 1963) is an American football coach who is the defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He was promoted to defensive coordinator on January 9, 2018, after spending the previous six seasons as the team's linebackers coach.

Don Martindale was born on May 19, 1963 in Dayton, Ohio. Martindale attended Trotwood-Madison High School where he played linebacker for the Trotwood-Madison Rams and was an All-State selection his senior year.

College

Right after college, Martindale took a job with this family's trucking company, hauling brake parts every day from Dayton, Ohio, to Detroit. It was a grueling 6 hour drive round-trip and he hated it. He stopped after a year so he could pursue his real passion; coaching.Martindale's started his coaching career as an assistant for the team he had played for in college, the Defiance College Yellow Jackets in the late 1980s. Martindale also coached for three seasons at Western Kentucky University on the staff of Jack Harbaugh, father of Ravens head coach John Harbaugh and Michiganhead coach Jim Harbaugh. He also coached for three years at the University of Cincinnati, and in 1994 and 1995 was a defensive assistant at Notre Dame for teams that went to the Fiesta Bowl and Orange Bowl.

Oakland Raiders

From 2004 to 2008 he was the linebackers coach for the Oakland Raiders and was at one time under consideration for the job of Raiders head coach.

Denver Broncos

In 2009, Martindale was hired by the Denver Broncos as their linebackers coach. He was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2010.

Baltimore Ravens

On February 2, 2012, the Ravens signed Martindale as linebackers coach.

Martindale was part of the Ravens' coaching staff that won Super Bowl XLVII. He is an alumnus of Defiance College, where he played on the football team and first earned the nickname "Wink", which he received due to sharing a last name with the famous game show host of the era. In 2018, Martindale was promoted to defensive coordinator.

Martindale and his wife, Laura, have two children; a daughter Cassie, and a son, Ty.