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Antonio Pierce

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Antonio Pierce
refer to caption
Pierce with the New York Giants in 2008
Las Vegas Raiders
Position:Head coach
Personal information
Born: (1978-10-26) October 26, 1978 (age 46)
Long Beach, California, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:238 lb (108 kg)
Career information
High school:Paramount (Paramount, California)
College:
Undrafted:2001
Career history
As a player:
As a coach:
  • Long Beach Poly HS (CA) (2014–2017)
    Head coach
  • Arizona State (2018–2019)
    Linebackers coach & recruiting coordinator
  • Arizona State (2020)
    Associate head coach, co-defensive coordinator, linebackers coach, & recruiting coordinator
  • Arizona State (2021)
    Associate head coach, defensive coordinator, & recruiting coordinator
  • Las Vegas Raiders (2022–2023)
    Linebackers coach
  • Las Vegas Raiders (2023)
    Interim head coach
  • Las Vegas Raiders (2024–present)
    Head coach
Career highlights and awards
As player:
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:691
Sacks:9.0
Forced fumbles:8
Fumble recoveries:10
Interceptions:7
Defensive touchdowns:2
Stats at Pro Football Reference
Head coaching record
Regular season:7–12 (.368)
Career:7–12 (.368) (NFL)
31–15 (.674) (high school)
Record at Pro Football Reference

Antonio Durran Pierce[1] (born October 26, 1978) is an American professional football coach and former linebacker who is the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the linebackers coach for the Raiders from 2022 to 2023.

Pierce played nine seasons as a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) and he won a Super Bowl playing with the New York Giants in the 2007 season. He played college football for the Arizona Wildcats and was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Washington Redskins, and later played for the Giants. In 2014, Pierce began his coaching career as the head coach at Long Beach Polytechnic High School and then served as an assistant coach at Arizona State University from 2018 to 2021.

Early life

[edit]

Pierce played high school football at Paramount High School in Paramount, California. As a senior for the Pirates, Pierce earned All-CIF Southern Section Division 2 accolades at linebacker while also playing at the fullback position.[2][3]

He then played two years of football at Mount San Antonio College in Walnut, California, before transferring to the University of Arizona. In the fall of 1997 as a sophomore, Pierce helped lead Mt. SAC to the CCCAA state title, intercepting a pass for the Mounties in the fourth quarter of a 38–35 win over San Francisco City College.[4]

As a senior at Arizona, he had three sacks, 77 tackles (ten for losses), two forced fumbles, one interception, and one blocked kick, earning All-Pac-10 honorable mention.[5]

Pierce was not taken in the 2001 NFL draft after his senior year because many NFL scouts considered him too undersized to play linebacker in the NFL.[6]

Playing career

[edit]

Washington Redskins

[edit]
Antonio Pierce (#58) attempts to tackle Vince Young (#10) in the 2007 Pro Bowl

The Washington Redskins signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2001. He played in all 16 games as a rookie, with only eight starts. He recorded 52 tackles, one sack, and one interception during his rookie campaign. The interception came against Jake Plummer. Over the next two seasons, Pierce played sporadically, recording only 18 and 15 tackles respectively, during the 2002 and 2003 seasons.

It was not until the 2004 season, his fourth in the league, that he played a full season, upon replacing the injured Micheal Barrow.[7] That season, Pierce logged a career-high 114 tackles, 95 of them solo. He also had one forced fumble, one sack, and two interceptions, including a pick off Ken Dorsey returned 76 yards for a touchdown.

New York Giants

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The New York Giants signed Pierce on March 3, 2005, to start at middle linebacker. He became the captain of the defense, and in 13 games, Pierce notched 100 tackles, 80 of them solo, two interceptions, and one forced fumble returned for a touchdown. His 2005 season ended early as he suffered a leg injury, against the Philadelphia Eagles, and missed the final three regular season games as well as the Giants' only postseason game, a 23–0 loss to the Carolina Panthers.

In 2006, Pierce recorded a career-high 138 tackles (109 solo), a sack, an interception, and defended eight passes. Pierce was named as a first alternate for the Pro Bowl. He was invited to play in Hawaii after Brian Urlacher suffered a toe injury in Super Bowl XLI, and withdrew from the Pro Bowl.

In the 2007 season, Pierce was a central figure in the Giants' path to their third Super Bowl title. He made a key tackle in the first half of the NFC Championship game against the Green Bay Packers, stopping running back Brandon Jackson on a screen pass on 3rd and 8,[8] saving a touchdown and forcing the Packers to settle for a field goal instead. The Giants would go on to win in overtime.[9]

Plaxico Burress Shooting Incident

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On the early morning hours of November 9, 2008, at a night club in New York City, Plaxico Burress accidentally discharged an unlicensed gun in his pocket, injuring his thigh.[10] No one called the police, which is required by New York law when a gunshot accident occurs. Pierce helped Burress and rushed him to a nearby hospital to tend to his injury. Pierce was then sought by the NYPD for questioning as it is against New York law not to report a shooting, which Pierce or anyone else in attendance did not do. Eventually, Pierce talked to the police and did not face charges[11] in the incident, also reiterating he didn't have any regrets for how he handled the incident.

Pierce was released by the team on February 11, 2010.

NFL career statistics

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Legend
Bold Career high

Regular season

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Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds TD Lng PD FF FR Yds TD
2001 WAS 16 8 53 44 9 1.0 2 1 0 0 0 4 1 1 0 0
2002 WAS 8 1 18 13 5 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
2003 WAS 15 0 15 14 1 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2004 WAS 16 16 114 87 27 1.0 3 2 94 1 78 5 1 2 2 0
2005 NYG 13 13 100 80 20 2.5 7 2 41 0 24 11 1 2 12 1
2006 NYG 16 16 139 109 30 1.0 10 1 6 0 6 9 1 2 0 0
2007 NYG 16 16 102 76 26 1.0 8 1 28 0 28 8 1 2 0 0
2008 NYG 15 15 95 72 23 1.5 5 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 0
2009 NYG 9 9 55 40 15 1.0 4 0 0 0 0 3 1 1 3 0
124 94 691 535 156 9.0 39 7 169 1 78 43 8 10 17 1

Playoffs

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Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds TD Lng PD FF FR Yds TD
2006 NYG 1 1 7 5 2 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2007 NYG 4 4 25 22 3 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
2008 NYG 1 1 10 7 3 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
6 6 42 34 8 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0

Retirement

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Following his release, Pierce announced his retirement from football on July 8, 2010. He also stated that he would then begin his career as an NFL analyst for ESPN.[12]

Coaching career

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High school

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On February 7, 2014, Pierce was named the head coach at national powerhouse Long Beach Polytechnic High School, replacing Raul Lara, who stepped down as the head coach of the program after 13 seasons.[13] After an 11–2 first season, the Jackrabbits struggled under Pierce, missing the playoffs for the first time in 36 years in his second season at the helm. The struggles continued in 2016 and 2017, with the program failing to reach double digit wins in both years and getting blown out in the playoffs.

Arizona State

[edit]

On December 21, 2017, Pierce announced his resignation as head coach and was named linebackers coach at Arizona State University. After two seasons as the Sun Devils' linebackers coach, Pierce was promoted to co-defensive coordinator alongside Marvin Lewis.[14] On January 20, 2021, Pierce was elevated to be the sole defensive coordinator at ASU after sharing the role with Marvin Lewis during the 2020 season.[15] He resigned during an NCAA recruiting violation investigation prior to 2022 season.[16] In August 2023, ASU announced a self-imposed bowl ban, hoping to lessen further penalties resulting from the ongoing investigation.[17]

Las Vegas Raiders

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In 2022, Pierce was hired by the Las Vegas Raiders as their linebackers coach under head coach Josh McDaniels.[18]

On October 31, 2023, Pierce was named the interim head coach of the Raiders following the firing of head coach Josh McDaniels.[19] He named Aidan O'Connell as the starting quarterback for the rest of the season on November 1, benching Jimmy Garoppolo.[20] On November 5, 2023, Pierce made his head coaching debut against the New York Giants, for whom he had previously played. The Raiders won the game 30–6, a season high in points for the Raiders at that point[21]

Antonio Pierce meets with Matthew Butler prior to a 2023 game against the Indianapolis Colts

On December 14, 2023, the Raiders defeated the Los Angeles Chargers 63–21, scoring the most points in franchise history. A week later, on Christmas Day, the Raiders recorded their first win over the Kansas City Chiefs since 2020.

The Raiders were eliminated from playoff contention on New Year's Eve, following a 23–20 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

On January 19, 2024, the Raiders officially named Pierce the 23rd head coach in franchise history.[22]

Head coaching record

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High school

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Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs
Long Beach Poly Jackrabbits () (2014–2017)
2014 Long Beach Poly 11–2 6–0 1st
2015 Long Beach Poly 4–6 3–3 4th
2016 Long Beach Poly 7–4 6–0 1st
2017 Long Beach Poly 9–3 6–0 1st
Long Beach Poly: 31–15 21–3
Total: 31–15
      National championship         Conference title         Conference division title or championship game berth

NFL

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Team Year Regular season Postseason
Won Lost Ties Win % Finish Won Lost Win % Result
LV* 2023 5 4 0 .556 2nd in AFC West — — — —
LV 2024 2 7 0 .222 TBD — — — —
Total 7 11 0 .389 0 0 .000

* Interim head coach

Personal life

[edit]

Pierce is married to Jocelyn and is the father of seven. He currently resides in Palos Verdes Estates, California. His father, Cleo Burrows, is from Bermuda.

Inspired by his own experiences growing up in Compton, it has become Pierce's mission to improve the quality of life for the youth in the Long Beach/Compton area. For several years, Pierce has offered a free football camp for underprivileged youths.[citation needed]

In 2006, Pierce became the spokesperson for Giants Academy—a program for inner city youth geared toward helping these children succeed despite obstacles in their life. He is also involved in the "Read Across America" program where he reads to children whose parents are undergoing treatment for chemical dependency at the Odyssey House in Harlem.[23]

In 2007, Pierce received the "United Way Man of the Year" award and was honored by the Catholic Diocese for his support of the community.

Pierce was honored at the 2008 ESPY awards along with the Giants.

Plaxico Burress incident

[edit]

Pierce was present when teammate Plaxico Burress negligently shot himself in the thigh at the Latin Quarter Night Club in New York City on November 28, 2008.[24] Police say that Pierce drove Burress to the hospital and then returned home with the gun in the glove compartment of his car. The police impounded Pierce's SUV to search for blood and gunpowder residue.[25] Burress was charged with, and ultimately pleaded guilty to, criminal possession of a weapon; however Pierce was not indicted on any charges. On August 3, 2009, Pierce was cleared of all criminal charges stemming from the incident.[26] He was represented in the matter by notable NYC criminal defense attorney, Michael F. Bachner.[27]

Broadcasting

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Pierce served as a communications intern on The Howard Stern Show on May 7, 2008. He stated he would like to pursue a career in broadcasting after his NFL career.[28] Near the end of the day's show he asked to stay for the remainder of the week, which Stern agreed to.[29]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Antonio Pierce Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on December 24, 2007. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  2. ^ "North's Claiborne Div. 4 player of year". Riverside Press-Enterprise. December 29, 1995. pp. F04.
  3. ^ Irvine, Steve (December 29, 1995). "Four Jackrabbits Named All-CIF". Long Beach Press-Telegram. pp. D3.
  4. ^ Dottore, Damian (December 14, 1997). "Mounties' defense rallies down stretch". The Orange County Register. pp. c15.
  5. ^ 2023 Arizona Football Media Guide. University of Arizona Athletics. 2023. p. 68.
  6. ^ DiTrani, Vinny (August 10, 2005). "Following Giant footsteps – Pierce wants to join Big Blue Dewil tradition of top linebackers". Bergen County Record. Archived from the original on October 26, 2012.
  7. ^ La Canfora, Jason (November 14, 2004). "Redskins Provide a Home for NFL Castaways: Unheralded Journeymen Anchor the League's Top-Ranked Defense". The Washington Post.
  8. ^ "YouTube".
  9. ^ "NFC Championship – New York Giants at Green Bay Packers – January 20th, 2008". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  10. ^ Branch, John (November 29, 2008). "Plaxico Burress Shoots Himself Accidentally". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  11. ^ Lapointe, Joe (August 4, 2009). "Giants' Pierce Is Relieved Not to Have Been Indicted". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  12. ^ Leahy, Sean (July 8, 2010). "Ex-New York Giants LB Antonio Pierce retires, joins ESPN as NFL analyst". USA Today. Retrieved July 8, 2010.
  13. ^ Irving, Kyle (November 12, 2023). "Antonio Pierce high school: The story of Long Beach Poly's 99–9 win under new Raiders interim coach". Sporting News. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  14. ^ "Sun Devil Football's Marvin Lewis and Antonio Pierce Named Co-defensive Coordinators, as well as Recruiting Coordinator and Associate head coach". Arizona State Sun Devils. February 4, 2020. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
  15. ^ Gardner, Michelle (January 20, 2021). "Antonio Pierce elevated to sole defensive coordinator at ASU". Arizona Republic. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  16. ^ Anderson, Jake (February 3, 2022). "Timeline: ASU football fallout amid investigation into recruiting violations". Arizona Sports. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  17. ^ "Arizona State football defends self-imposed bowl ban". Arizona Sports. August 29, 2023. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  18. ^ Levine, Ben (February 14, 2022). "Raiders To Hire Antonio Pierce As LB Coach". Pro Football Rumors. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  19. ^ "Raiders name Antonio Pierce as Interim Head Coach". Raiders.com. November 1, 2023. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  20. ^ Weiss, Brad (November 1, 2023). "Raiders turning to Aidan O'Connell is the right move in 2023 and possibly beyond". Just Blog Baby. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  21. ^ "Giants vs. Raiders – Box Score – November 5, 2023". ESPN.com. November 5, 2023. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  22. ^ "Antonio Pierce named Head Coach of the Las Vegas Raiders". Raiders.com. January 19, 2024. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  23. ^ "Antonio Pierce". mtsacfoundation.org. The Mt. SAC Foundation & Alumni Association. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
  24. ^ Branch, John (November 30, 2008). "Giants' Burress Shoots Himself Accidentally in Thigh". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 10, 2008. Retrieved November 30, 2008.
  25. ^ "Giants Put an End to Burress' season". CNN. Archived from the original on December 6, 2008. Retrieved December 3, 2008.
  26. ^ "Reference at sports.yahoo.com".
  27. ^ Schwartz, Paul (December 4, 2008). "Lawyer: Pierce Didn't Know About Gun". The NY Post. NYP Holdings Inc. News Corp. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
  28. ^ "The Howard Stern Show for May 7, 2008". Archived from the original on May 14, 2008. Retrieved May 7, 2008.
  29. ^ "Antonio Pierce interns for Stern, says Michael Strahan is done". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved July 8, 2010.
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