Romeo Crennel Bio: Is he retired? Net Worth & Football
Romeo Crennel Bio: Is he retired? Net Worth & Football
October 27, 2026
This article was last updated by Krisha Shrestha on May 3, 2026
A few people retain their long-term passion, live up to their dream, worship their jobs, and get determined to do each day better.
It has been more than five-decade since Romeo Crennel was involved in American Football. He mainly served as a defensive coordinator for the Houston Texans.
Romeo Crennel is in his early seventies but seems to have retained his passion for football upright. On October 5, 2026, he was named as an interim head coach for the Houston Texans of the NFL.
Before signing as an interim head coach for the National Football League team, ”Houston Texans,” Romeo was the assistant head coach for NFL’s Houston Texans. He also worked as a head coach for different clubs such as ”Cleveland Browns’ & ”Kansas City Chefs.”
Crennel was not a coach in the first place to begin his career with; he gave his chance in football as a footballer playing as a defensive lineman for the club ”Western Kentucky Hill toppers.”
Now, Romeo has successfully established himself as a coach with a long-lived legacy, training various players and executing a successful team.
Romeo CrennelThe status and Legacy that Romeo holds right now with him is not made overnight; there is a long journey of hard work & struggle.
Being an African-American coach in the USA, he was a victim of the racism attack. He was criticized for his defensive strategies. But, he overcame all the difficulties gradually and proved he is here to stay.
Let’s take a journey to Romeo Crennel’s rich history of the team’s successful execution and strategies and how he was brought up to be a coach, his personal life, Net Worth, and Family.
Quick Facts
Romeo Crennel | Early Life, Parents, Education & Horoscope
Romeo was born on June 18, 1947, in Lynchburg, Virginia, United States of America. He was born to Joseph Crennel and Mary Crennel as an older son.
Romeo’s father was a U.S. Army sergeant, and he grew up in the military environment as they had to move to a new place every three years.
Joshep Crennel was very fond of William Shakespeare, and this made him name his older son after the famous character of Shakespeare, I.e. ”Romeo”.
Similarly, he also names his daughter Juliet. However, his home was entirely military and disciplined.
Young Romeo CrennelRomeo played football and baseball during high school in Fort Knox, Kentucky, and was excellent in both. He had quite an athletic family; his brother Carl was a gifted footballer who is now a retired football player.
Romeo’s Early College Life
Having come from a military family, it is undeniable that his interest was inclined toward joining the military. Romeo got enrolled in an Army ROTC program at Western Kentucky University.
But unfortunately, his dream of joining the army was shattered by his medical conditions. Later, he applied as a defensive lineman.
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After joining as a defensive lineman at Western Kentucky, he impressed everyone and coaches with his extraordinary performance. After Romeo’s enrollment, Western Kentucky won six-game straight, which promoted him to be a team captain and most valuable player.
In 1969, Romeo graduated from Western Kentucky University with a Bachelor of Arts in Physical Education.
After, his graduation he was hired as a graduate assistant in 1970 to become a team’s defensive line coach. This overall process started steps in his coaching career. Romeo belongs to the Gemini horoscope.
Romeo Crennel | Career
After working as a graduate assistant in Kentucky’s Appalachian mountain, Romeo got another opportunity to move to a larger school, such as Texas Tech, in a defensive assistant position in 1975.
Again, he made a good connection and , a defensive coordinator at Texas Tech at that time.
Romeo Crennel and Romeo was able to impress head coach Steve Sloan, and Sloan brought Crennel along with him when he was hired at the University of Mississippi.
But, his journey in the Mississippi was not comfortable; he was subjected to extreme racism and violence. So, in 1980, Romeo flew to Georgia Tech along with his family.
Romeo Crennel’s Career in Clubs
New York Giants
In 1981, Romeo made his debut in National Football League as the special Teams/Defensive Assistant for the New York Giants.
He worked as a coach for New York Giants for almost eight years, and in that course, they won ”Super Bowl XXI” in 1986. In 1990 he was promoted to the defensive line coach.
Romeo recalls when he had a stressful job interview for filling the opening of the head coach post. From 2003 to 2004, he interviewed five clubs for the head coach’s position, but he was left empty-handed.
While giving an interview with New York Daily News, he said that there are many good coaches in NFL who still haven haven’t received an opportunity so, there is no reason for him to stress much.
Cleveland Browns
In 2000, Romeo was called from ”Cleveland Browns for the defensive coordinator position, but he was not right there and had to leave within a year.
Again, in 2005 he was called for the same club as the head coach but again, he was unable to show his performance and had to bear a loss of 6-10 win-loss in the first season.
However, it was even worse during the second season when Romeo had to bear the loss of 4-12 in the following club leading to his termination.
Kansas City Chiefs
After Romeo’s termination from Cleveland Browns, he got appointed as the defensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs for a year and was eventually promoted as the interim head coach.
In 2012, Romeo Crennel received a letter of appointment as the full-time head coach for ”Kansas City Chiefs”. However, he got fired after the colossal loss record of 2-14 win-loss.
Romeo Crennel celebrating with Kansas City ChiefsDuring the same year in 2012, Chiefs player Jovan Belcher committed suicide. Initially, he murdered his girlfriend and committed suicide in front of Crennel and GM Scott Pioli in Arrowhead Stadium’s parking lot.
“I think playing the game helped, I think it really did. Jovan is a member of the family, what he did we didn’t like, we’re not crazy about, but he’s still a member of our family. And when you go out in society, and when things like this happen in society, you don’t see people throwing the family members out the door.”
-Romeo Crennel
Houston Texans
Having to bear the terrible loss in Kansas City Chiefs was a big push for Romeo, but he bounced back with the defensive coordinator position for ”Houston Texans” from 2014 until 2016.
He showed his extraordinary coaching skills and proved this by winning two state championships in 2015 & 2016.
Romeo was very successful with ”Houston Texans”, which led him to be the assistant head coach in January 2017.
Since then, he hasn’t had to look back on his career and served as the team’s defensive coordinator. During his coaching tenure, he led the team to an ”AFC South crown in 2018.
On October 5, 2026, Romeo Crennel was named the interim head coach for Houston Texan after six years in a different position.
Crennel’s 38th year in National Football League will be in the 2026 season and his 49th overall coaching career. There is news about Romeo expecting to retire or remain in the organization in a senior assistant role.
Romeo Crennel with Houston TexansRomeo Crennel | Personal Life, Wife, Children
Crennel is married to Rosemary Crennel for almost about 50 years. This two couple has three daughters together: Tiffany Stokes, Lisa Tulley, and Kristin Cullinane.
In the late 1970s, the Crennel family met a dreadful accident; their car crashed with a semi-truck. Rosemary was hospitalized for several weeks.
In early 2009, Romeo had his hip replacement surgery and took a year off for recovery. He also has a lifelong friendship with Parcells, whom he met during his Texas Tech coaching career.
Romeo CrennelRomeo Crennel | Awards
- Pro Football Writers of America
- NFL Assistant Coach of the Year 2003
- Holds Fiver Super Bowl rings
Romeo Crennel | Net Worth
Ian Rapoport of the National Football League (NFL) Network reported that Crennel would be paid $3.5 million in each of the next two seasons.
However, this news of the contract got flashed when Saints showed an interest in Crennel; it states that whatever amount Saints pays him reduces Kansas’s payment.
According to a league source, after signing off with Kansas with worth $3.5 million salaries, Crennel will earn more than $7 million over the three-season with Houston Texans.
Many media has reported that Romeo Crennel has a Net Worth of $5 million. Houston Texan pays him $ 1.8 million annually as a salary, making him one of the league’s highest-paid defensive coaches. He also bags a few sums of money from the bonus, roster bonus, and valuations.
Romeo Crennel | Social Media Presence
It might be because Romeo Crennel belongs to the previous generation; he doesn’t seem to have any presence on Social Media.
But, there are a lot of hashtags going on about #RomeoCrennel. Once, when his hype in the Houston Texan was high, he was staged on Twitter & Instagram.
Many of his fans often comment on the post posted by others regarding Romeo Crennel. They praise him by saying that he is one of the best coaches in history who understands the players and knows to keep an eye on them.
Frequently Asked Question
Did Romeo Crennel retire?
Romeo Crennel has already spent five decades of his football career. As an interim head coach in Houston Texans, he is not expected to return for the 2026 season. He is expected to retire or stay in the organization as a senior assistant.
Who has Romeo Crennel coached for?
- New York Giants Jets (1997 to 1999)
- New England Patriots (2001 to 2004)
- Cleveland Browns (2005 to 2008)
- Kansas City Chiefs (2010 to 2012)
- Houston Texans (2014 to present)
What is Romeo Crennel’s Brown statistic? What is his head coach record?
Romeo Crennel initially served Cleveland Browns as the defensive coordinator in 2000 and again returned back in 2005. Following it, he was on the team till 2008, and until then, he had maintained a record of 24-40.
Likewise, his head coach record stands as 32–63 (.337) in a regular season.
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Comments
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Jason rosenberg
You glossed over his successful time with ny giants and said nothing about his extremely successful time with patriots!
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