Born in Red Bluff, California, Cecil grew up in Hanford and La Mesa; he graduated from Helix High School in La Mesa, where he was a standout player on a defense which set a school record for fewest points allowed per game and won a state title.
[2] At 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) and 150 lb (68 kg) as a senior, Cecil was considered too small to be a collegiate star and thus was not offered a scholarship out of high school.
He proved the recruiters wrong by eventually earning consensus All-America and Pacific-10 Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors after his nine-interception senior season in 1987.
[2] In the 1986 rivalry game against fourth-ranked Arizona State (9–0–1), Cecil returned an interception 105 yards for a 34–17 Wildcats victory in Tucson.
He often left his feet and led with his helmet, and much like the infamous missiles launched during the Gulf War – would occasionally miss completely or arrive late.
In 2001, Cecil accepted a coaching position for the Tennessee Titans under Jeff Fisher, for whom he had played in his final season (when the team was the Houston Oilers).
On February 12, 2009, Cecil was named the Titans' defensive coordinator, replacing the departed Jim Schwartz, who had taken the position of head coach for the Detroit Lions.
[6] On October 3, 2010, during a game against the Denver Broncos, Cecil gave NFL officials the middle-finger gesture in an attempt to protest a neutral zone infraction call against one of his players.