Auburn hires NFL veteran Rich Bisaccia as running backs, special teams coachCharles Goldbergon January 03, 2013 at 1:05 PM AUBURN, Alabama – Auburn is going to the NFL for one of its assistant coaches.Rich Bisaccia, who had been the San Diego Chargers the last two years as the special teams coach, was hired as running backs and special teams coach by the Tigers on Thursday. He was also the Chargers' assistant head coach in 2012. Bisaccia was with Tampa Bay as the special teams coach from 2002-10. He was also the associate head coach there for three seasons.He has SEC experience, having coached at South Carolina and Ole Miss. He's also coached at Clemson. San Diego shook up its football operations Monday when it fired head coach Norv Turner and general manager A.J. Smith.Bisaccia is the seventh member of Gus Malzahn's new coaching staff. Auburn needs two more assistants to complete its coaching staff.Auburn's new coaches are Bisaccia, offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee, offensive line coach J.B. Grimes, defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson, secondary coaches Charlie Harbison and Melvin Smith and defensive line coach Rodney Garner, who is also the assistant head coach and recruiting coordinator. Rich Bisaccia’s Coaching Experience1983 — Defensive Backs and Special Teams, Wayne State1984-87 — Quarterbacks and Receivers, Wayne State1988 — Grad Assistant, Tight Ends and Wide Receivers, South Carolina1989-90 — Volunteer Asst., Def. Ends and Spec. Teams, South Carolina1991 — Volunteer Assistant, Tight Ends and Spec. Teams, South Carolina1992-93 — Running Backs and Special Teams, South Carolina1994-98 — Running Backs and Special Teams, Clemson1999 — Running Backs and Special Teams, Mississippi2000-01 — Asst. Head Coach, Running Backs and Special teams, Mississippi2002-07 — Special Teams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers2008 — Associate Head Coach, Special teams and Running Backs, Tampa Bay2009-10 — Associate Head Coach and Special teams, Tampa Bay2011 — Special Teams, San Diego Chargers2012 — Assistant Head Coach—Special Teams, San Diego Chargers
I wold love for this to work out heavily in our favor. You know, like this guy actually finding a player who can return a punt......
Good timing.This guy is way over-qualified, but he is out of a job and we had an opening. I wold love for this to work out heavily in our favor. You know, like this guy actually finding a player who can return a punt...... the defense forcing some punts.
Good timing.This guy is way over-qualified, but he is out of a job and we had an opening. I wold love for this to work out heavily in our favor. You know, like this guy actually finding a player who can return catch a punt......
Hiring Rich Bisaccia offers Gus Malzahn flexibility in final two Auburn coaching spotsJoel A. EricksonJanuary 03, 2013 at 3:39 PMAUBURN, Alabama -- By bringing in NFL veteran Rich Bisaccia to teach the running backs and coordinate special teams, Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn has left himself a little room to manuever with his final two hires.At first glance, the two obvious spots remaining are wide receivers and tight ends, a position that often doubles as a special teams coordinator, like former Auburn assistant Jay Boulware, who handled both roles on Gene Chizik's staff.Auburn already has an offensive coordinator in Rhett Lashlee, an offensive line coach in J.B. Grimes and now a running backs coach in Bisaccia, whose hire was announced Thursday afternoon"I met Gus in the spring of 2010 and have followed his cutting-edge offense and what he’s accomplished as a coach since he started coaching in college," Bisaccia said in a statement. Five SEC schools have a coach who doubles as both a tight ends coach and special teams coordinator, the most frequent pairing of the role. But the tight ends position could be a wild card. Although 11 of the 13 SEC teams other than Auburn have a tight ends coach -- Missouri doesn't have one, and new Arkansas coach Bret Bielema hasn't filled out his staff yet -- Malzahn could decide to use that final spot elsewhere.Scott Fountain, Auburn's director of player personnel under Chizik, could be a possibility at tight ends coach. Fountain, who was Chizik's tight ends coach at Iowa State, has been on the road recruiting for the Tigers since Malzahn released Chizik's assistants.If Malzahn wants to go in a different direction, he has options. A few schools have a quarterbacks coach, or Malzahn could double up at one of the offensive positions, a tactic he's already used once on defense. Malzahn has already said repeatedly that he planned to hire four defensive coaches, and Auburn's defensive staff is complete with defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Ellis Johnson, co-defensive coordinator/secondary coach Charlie Harbison, defensive line coach Rodney Garner and cornerbacks coach Melvin Smith.Other than saying he planned to hire all of his coaches by Friday, Malzahn hasn't said specifically what positions he wanted to hire."We are putting the pieces to the puzzle, one by one," Malzahn said at Garner's introductory press conference. "I think it is very important that we get the right fit."
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