Kirby Wilson will be a head football coach after over 3 decades of experience as an assistant. Wilson, a former Illinois receiver, has been named the head coach of the United States Football League’s Pittsburgh Maulers

“I’m excited to have this opportunity to be a head coach for the first time,” Wilson said Thursday in a press release. “I didn’t believe it at first, but now that that moment is inching closer and closer, I’m super excited about being a head coach in the USFL. I can’t wait to get out on the field, in the grass with my players and the coaches, and start building a championship football team.”

Wilson was announced by the USFL alongside Skip Holtz, who will coach the Birmingham Stallions. The USFL is a new, independent football league controlled by FOX Sports launching April 16. The pair join Bart Andrus (Philadelphia Stars), Todd Haley (Tampa Bay Bandits), Mike Riley (New Jersey Generals), and Kevin Sumlin (Houston Gamblers), all named to their positions earlier this month.

“Filling two more head coach positions is another huge step forward for the league as we move towards kickoff,” said Brian Woods, USFL President of Football Operations. “In Skip and Kirby, we’ve secured two outstanding professionals, who, like the coaches already announced, have decades of experience either in the NFL or college, a love of coaching, and a commitment to the quality league we’re building.”

Wilson has 24 seasons of experience as a running backs coach in the NFL with 8 different franchises: New England (1997-99), Washington (2000-01), Tampa Bay (2002-03), Arizona (2004-06 & 2018), Pittsburgh (2007-13), Minnesota (2014-15), Cleveland (2016-17), and the Raiders (2019-20). He also coached in the college ranks at Pasadena City College, Los Angeles Southwest College, Southern Illinois, Wyoming, USC, and Iowa State.