Who started the 2008 season as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers?

Mike Nolan started the 2008 season as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers.

Nolan had been hired in 2005 after serving as the Baltimore Ravens’ defensive coordinator. The 2008 campaign was his fourth season leading San Francisco, and the team retained him despite three consecutive losing seasons. The 49ers opened the year 2–5, including a 29–17 loss to the New York Giants in Week 8.

That defeat ended Nolan’s tenure. San Francisco fired him on October 20, 2008, and appointed assistant head coach and linebackers coach Mike Singletary as interim head coach for the rest of the season. Singletary guided the team to a 5–4 finish, so both men coached the 49ers during 2008—but Nolan was the coach who began the season.

A common mix-up is answering Mike Singletary because he finished the season and later became the team’s full-time head coach. Nolan’s final San Francisco record was 18–37, while his 2008 record was 2–5.