Who is Wink Martindale? What we know about the veteran NFL coach who will lead Michigan’s defense

On Friday, the Michigan Wolverines hired Wink Martindale as their new defensive coordinator.

Martindale has been in the NFL since 2004 and spent the last two seasons as the New York Giants DC. Yet, the two decided to mutually part ways.

Immediately after parting ways with the Giants, Martindale got hired by the Wolverines.

Who is Wink Martindale?

Wink Martindale is 60-years-old from 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.

After attending Defiance College, where Martindale played on their football team, he worked with his family's trucking company. He hauled brake parts every day from Dayton, Ohio, to Detroit.

Martindale held the job for one year before quitting to pursue a coaching career in football.

Wink Martindale's coaching history

Wink Martindale got his first coaching job in 1986 as the DC for Defiance College for two seasons.

Martindale was then an assistant coach for Notre Dame for two seasons before becoming Cincinnati's special teams and linebacker coach. He was at Cincinnati for three seasons before accepting a job at Western Illinois as their DC and linebackers coach.

Martindale only held that role for one season before becoming Western Kentucky's DC and inside linebackers coach for three seasons. Following his success at Western Kentucky, Martindale moved to the NFL and was hired by the Oakland Raiders to be their linebackers coach. He held this role from 2004 until 2008.

After being the Raiders linebackers coach for several years, he was hired by the Denver Broncos for the same job. Martindale was the linebackers coach for one season before being promoted to DC in 2010.

However, Martindale only lasted one season in that role and didn't coach in 2011. He returned to the sideline in 2012 as the Baltimore Ravens linebackers coach, held until 2017. He was promoted to DC in 2018. After four years as the Ravens DC, he took the DC job with the New York Giants in 2022 for two seasons.

Martindale is Michigan Wolverines' DC for the 2024 season.

Wink Martindale's family

Wink Martindale is married to his wife Laura, and the couple has two children together.

Their have a daughter named Cassie, who was a Ravens' marketing department intern in 2013, and a son named Ty.

Wink is also a grandfather, as his daughter Cassie had a girl named Gigi.

Martindale likes to keep his personal life private, so not much is known about the rest of his family.