Jack Del Rio

Jack Del Rio

Jack Louis Del Rio Jr. was born in Castro Valley, California to a father of Spanish descent and an Italian-American mother. He played college football as a linebacker at the University of Southern California. Del Rio was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the third round of the 1985 NFL Draft. He also played for four other NFL teams before retiring in 1996. He is currently the defensive coordinator of the Washington Football Team.

About Jack Del Rio in brief

Summary Jack Del RioJack Louis Del Rio Jr. was born in Castro Valley, California to a father of Spanish descent and an Italian-American mother. He played college football as a linebacker at the University of Southern California. Del Rio was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the third round of the 1985 NFL Draft. He also played for four other NFL teams before retiring in 1996. He began his coaching career as an assistant strength and linebacker coach with the Saints in 1997. He has also served as the linebacker coach for the Super Bowl XXXV-winning Baltimore Ravens, and defensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos. In addition, he was head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2003–2011 and the Oakland Raiders from 2015–2017. He is currently the defensive coordinator of the Washington Football Team of the National Football League. He was selected out of high school by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 22nd round of the 1981 MLB Draft, but opted instead to accept a scholarship to play both football and baseball. In baseball, Del Rio batted. 340 as a two-year starter at catcher on a team that also included future Major League Baseball home run champion Mark McGwire and hall of fame pitcher Randy Johnson.

In football, he made the third-team 1983 All-American team. As a senior, he 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. 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. Jack was named the 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. In the 1990s, the Cowboys felt they could avoid paying a premium salary to Del Rio and replaced him with Eugene Lockhart at middle linebacker, while leading the team with 130 tackles, 53 assists and 77 solo tackles. In 1991 Del Rio replaced Lockhart as the middle linebacker and led the team in total tackles, tackles, sacks, and passes defensed.