The Tennessee Titans named Ken Whisenhunt as their new head coach on Monday, hoping the former San Diego offensive coordinator can turn around a team that has not made the playoffs in five seasons.

Whisenhunt replaced Mike Munchak, who was fired after the Titans finished second to the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC South division with a 7-9 record.

"This is a big day for this franchise," Titans President Tommy Smith said in a statement.

"Ken is a well-respected coach in this league and I am looking forward to seeing his vision become reality for this team."

Prior to the 2013 season, Whisenhunt, 51, had spent the previous six years as head coach of the Arizona Cardinals, a stint that included a Super Bowl appearance in 2009 after leading the team to a franchise-record 12 wins.

The Titans conducted a formal interview with Whisenhunt last Friday, two days before the Chargers were eliminated from the playoffs by the Denver Broncos.

Before turning his hand to coaching, Whisenhunt spent nine seasons in the NFL as a player, initially with the Atlanta Falcons then the Washington Redskins and finally the New York Jets.

"He has a history of building successful offenses and took Arizona to a Super Bowl as a head coach," Smith said.

"We all share a common goal for this team and that is to build a consistent winner."