Jack Del Rio

Jack Louis Del Rio Jr. (born April 4, 1963) is an American football coach and a former professional linebacker.

Del Rio was selected out of high school by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 22nd round (550th overall) of the 1981 MLB Draft, but opted instead to accept a scholarship from the University of Southern California to play both football and baseball.

In baseball, Del Rio was as a two-year starter at catcher on a team that also included future Major League Baseball players Mark McGwire and Randy Johnson, as well as future baseball executive Damon Oppenheimer.

Del Rio was a four-year starter in football.

As a junior, he made the third-team 1983 All-American team.

As a senior, Del Rio earned consensus All-American honors, was a runner-up for the Lombardi Award given to the nation's best lineman or linebacker, and was named along with quarterback Tim Green co-MVP of the Rose Bowl.

He finished his college career with 340 tackles, including 58 tackles for loss.

Del Rio was named to the second-team All-Pac-10 in 1984, the first time in his college career he did not make first-team.

He played college football as a linebacker at the University of Southern California before being drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the third round of the 1985 NFL Draft.

Del Rio was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the third round (68th overall) of the 1985 NFL Draft.

He was also selected by the Los Angeles Express in the 1985 USFL Territorial Draft.

As a rookie, Jack started nine games at right inside linebacker, tied a franchise record with five fumble recoveries (including one returned for a 22-yard touchdown) and earned NFL All-rookie honors.

Del Rio also collected 68 tackles, five passes defensed and three forced fumbles.

In 1986, Del Rio lost his starting position to Alvin Toles after the season opener and recorded only 20 tackles during the season.

In August 1987, Del Rio was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for a fifth round draft choice, reuniting him with former Saints defensive coordinator John Paul Young.

He started nine games at right outside linebacker, tallying 45 tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble.

That season the NFL players went on strike in September, after week two.

Throughout this period of time, Del Rio and teammates picketed outside of Arrowhead Stadium and were vigilantly watching for replacement players attempting to enter the facility.

He mistakenly mistook former Chiefs wide receiver Otis Taylor for a replacement player and assaulted him.

At the time, the 45-year-old Taylor was a scout for the Chiefs organization and had been retired for twelve years.

Taylor later pressed charges and the two eventually settled out of court.

Del Rio started ten games at left outside linebacker in 1988, registering 77 tackles, one sack, and one pass defensed.

He was released on August 29, 1989.

On August 30, 1989, Del Rio was claimed off waivers by the Dallas Cowboys.

He was named the starter at strongside linebacker in the fifth game against the Green Bay Packers, where he suffered a bruised calf that forced him to miss the next two games.

Del Rio started twelve contests at strongside linebacker, while sharing the position with David Howard in the final eight games, playing in the first and third quarters, finishing the season with 58 tackles, two fumble recoveries (including one returned for a 57-yard touchdown) and one pass defensed.

The next year, Del Rio started all sixteen games at strongside linebacker, making 104 tackles (third on the team), 1.5 sacks, four quarterback pressures and two passes defensed.

He also played for four other NFL teams before retiring in 1996.

Del Rio began his coaching career as an assistant with the Saints in 1997.

He then joined the Baltimore Ravens as a linebacker coach in 1999, where he was a part of their Super Bowl XXXV winning team that beat the New York Giants.

Following a single-season stint as Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator, Del Rio became head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2003.

He compiled a 68–71 record and two playoff appearances with them before being fired after the 2011 season.

Del Rio served as Denver Broncos defensive coordinator for the next three seasons before becoming head coach of the Oakland Raiders in 2015.

He compiled a 25–23 record with the Raiders before being fired after the 2017 season.

He spent the next two years working as an NFL analyst for ESPN and served as Washington Commanders defensive coordinator from 2020 until being fired mid-way through the 2023 season.

Jack Louis Del Rio Jr. was born in Castro Valley, California, to big bandleader Jack Del Rio Sr., who was of Spanish descent, and an Italian-American mother.

Famed singer Peggy Lee was briefly Del Rio's stepmother after having married Jack Sr. Del Rio attended Hayward High School in Hayward, California, where he developed into a notable three-sport athlete, earning all-state honors in football, baseball, and basketball.

In football, Del Rio helped his team win a North Coast Section 2A Championship.

In baseball, although he was the starting catcher, in one game Jack was used as a pitcher and struck out 16 in a playoff game against Mission San Jose-Fremont.

Jack and future Seattle Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu were teammates in baseball and football.