Saints Former Assistant Appointed as USFL Head Coach

A second former New Orleans coach is brought in to head up a USFL franchise this spring.

Former New Orleans Saints assistant coach Curtis Johnson has been announced as the new head coach of the USFL Houston Gamblers for the 2023 season. 

Johnson takes over for Kevin Sumlin, who guided the Gamblers to a 3-7 record in 2022. The original USFL played three seasons (1983-1985) before folding. Houston was a franchise in the original league for the final two seasons. 

The USFL returned last spring with the Gamblers as one of eight teams that will kick off their second season in April. 

Johnson, 61, will be a head coach for just the second time in his career. He was also the head coach of Tulane University from 2012-2015. Johnson left the New Orleans Saints to coach the Green Wave. He had been the Saints Wide Receiver Coach from 2006-2011, overseeing the development of Marques Colston, Lance Moore. Johnson was on the staff of the Saints Super Bowl XLIV team and part of a historic New Orleans offense in 2011.

Before arriving in New Orleans, his first NFL job, Johnson was the WR coach at the University of Miami (Fl.) from 1996-2005. The Hurricanes won the 2001 National Championship as Johnson oversaw standout wideouts like Andre Johnson, Santana Moss, and Reggie Wayne. 

Nov 25, 2010; New Orleans Saints wide receiver coach Curtis Johnson on the sidelines against the Dallas Cowboys at Cowboys Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons- USA TODAY

Upon leaving Tulane, Johnson was the WR coach for the Chicago Bears for one year before returning to the Saints in 2017. He'd serve as the Saints WR coach and Senior Offensive Assistant from 2017-2021.

Curtis Johnson is the second former New Orleans assistant to be hired as a USFL head coach this spring. Former Saints LB Coach Mike Nolan was appointed coach of the Michigan Panthers earlier this month. 

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