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Former NFL head coach joining Wisconsin staff, per report

Andrew Olson

By Andrew Olson

Published:

Former NFL head coach Jack Del Rio is reportedly coming to the Big Ten.

College football insider Bruce Feldman reports that Del Rio is joining Luke Fickell’s Wisconsin staff as Senior Advisor to the Head Coach.

It’s the first college coaching position for Del Rio. His only other connection to the Big Ten is playing for USC, during the program’s Pac-10 days.

After playing in the NFL from 1985-1996, Del Rio got into coaching. He initially joined the New Orleans Saints as a strength assistant in 1997. The following year, he became the Saints linebackers coach.

Del Rio would serve as Baltimore’s linebackers coach for 3 seasons (1999-2001). He then had a 1-year stop in Charlotte as the Carolina Panthers’ defensive coordinator for the 2002 season.

The Jacksonville Jaguars hired Del Rio as their head coach ahead of the 2003 season. Del Rio would coach Jacksonville into the 2011 season, leading the Jaguars to playoff birth in 2005 and 2007. He posted a 68-71 record during his Jacksonville, going 1-2 in playoff games.

Del Rio went back to being a defensive coach following his firing in Jacksonville. He was defensive coordinator for the Denver Broncos from 2012-14.

The Oakland Raiders made Del Rio their new head coach ahead of the 2015 seasons. The Raiders went 12-4 during the 2016 campaign sandwiched in between two losing seasons. Del Rio was fired after a 6-10 showing in 2017.

Del Rio went 25-23 with the Raiders, bringing his head coaching record to 93-94, with a 1-3 mark in the postseason.

After his Raiders dismissal, Del Rio landed the defensive coordinator position with the Washington Football Team, currently known as the Commanders. He was fired in 2023 after Washington’s 45-10 Thanksgiving loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

Andrew Olson

A former Florida beat reporter, Andrew writes for the Saturday Tradition News Desk.