Jack Del Rio

Jack Del Rio Jr., born on April 4, 1963, currently serves as head coach of the Paris Musketeers in the European Football Alliance. Before coaching, he played linebacker at USC from 1981 to 1984, then entered the NFL when the New Orleans Saints picked him in the third round of the 1985 draft. Over his playing career, he also suited up for the Kansas City Chiefs, Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Vikings, and Miami Dolphins, retiring in 1996.

His coaching path began as an assistant with the Saints in 1997. Two years later, he became the Baltimore Ravens' linebacker coach and earned a Super Bowl XXXV ring when they beat the New York Giants. After one season as the Carolina Panthers' defensive coordinator, he took over as head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2003, posting a 68–71 record with two playoff trips before being let go after the 2011 season. He then spent three years as the Denver Broncos' defensive coordinator, followed by a head coaching stint with the Oakland Raiders from 2015 to 2017, where he went 25–23 before being fired. After two years as an NFL analyst for ESPN, he served as the Washington Commanders' defensive coordinator from 2020 until his dismissal midway through the 2023 season.

Del Rio was born in Castro Valley, California, to big bandleader Jack Del Rio Sr., who had Mexican-Spanish ancestry, and an Italian-American mother. Singer Peggy Lee briefly became his stepmother after marrying his father. He attended Hayward High School in Hayward, California, where he earned all-state honors in football, baseball, and basketball. In football, his team won a North Coast Section 2A Championship. On the baseball diamond, he once struck out 16 batters as a pitcher in a playoff game against Mission San Jose-Fremont. Future Seattle Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu was his teammate in both sports.

The Toronto Blue Jays selected Del Rio in the 22nd round of the 1981 MLB draft, but he chose instead to play football and baseball at USC on scholarship. As a catcher, he started for two years on a team that included future MLB stars Mark McGwire and Randy Johnson, plus future baseball executive Damon Oppenheimer. In football, he started all four years. As a junior, he made the third-team 1983 All-American squad. As a senior, he earned consensus All-American honors, finished runner-up for the Lombardi Award, and shared Rose Bowl MVP honors with quarterback Tim Green. He ended his college career with 340 tackles, 58 for loss. He made second-team All-Pac-10 in 1984—the only year he didn't earn first-team. In 2015, he entered the USC Athletic Hall of Fame.

The Saints drafted Del Rio 68th overall in 1985, and the Los Angeles Express also picked him in the USFL Territorial Draft. As a rookie, he started nine games at right inside linebacker, tied a franchise record with five fumble recoveries (one returned for a 22-yard touchdown), earned NFL All-rookie honors, and posted 68 tackles, five passes defensed, and three forced fumbles. In 1986, he lost his starting job to Alvin Toles after the season opener and managed only 20 tackles.

In August 1987, the Saints traded him to the Kansas City Chiefs for a fifth-round pick, reuniting him with former defensive coordinator John Paul Young. He started nine games at right outside linebacker, tallying 45 tackles, two sacks, and a forced fumble. During the 1987 NFL players' strike, Del Rio picketed outside Arrowhead Stadium and mistakenly assaulted retired Chiefs wide receiver Otis Taylor, then a scout, thinking he was a replacement player.

Taylor pressed charges, and the case was settled out of court. In 1988, Del Rio started ten games at left outside linebacker, recording 77 tackles, one sack, and one pass defensed. The Chiefs released him on August 29, 1989. While playing for Kansas City, he earned a political science degree from the University of Kansas.

The Dallas Cowboys claimed him off waivers on August 30, 1989. He became a starter at strongside linebacker in the fifth game, missed two games with a bruised calf, and finished the season with 58 tackles, two fumble recoveries (one returned for a 57-yard touchdown), and one pass defensed. In 1990, he started all 16 games at strongside linebacker, making 104 tackles, 1.5 sacks, four quarterback pressures, and two passes defensed. The next year, he moved to middle linebacker, leading the team with 130 total tackles.