Entering his 23rd season coaching in the NFL, Rich Bisaccia begins his third year with the Packers in 2024 as the team's special teams coordinator and his second with the title of assistant head coach.
Named special teams coordinator on Feb. 8, 2022, by Head Coach Matt LaFleur, Bisaccia (bis-SOTCH-ee-uh) was promoted to assistant head coach/special teams coordinator on March 10, 2023. He came to Green Bay after spending the previous four seasons with the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders, serving as the team's assistant head coach/special teams coordinator and then taking over as interim head coach for the final 12 regular-season games in 2021. Bisaccia has 41 years of coaching experience, including 22 seasons in the NFL as a special teams coordinator with the Packers (2022-23), Raiders (2018-21), Dallas Cowboys (2013-17), San Diego Chargers (2011-12) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2002-10). This is the 13th season that he has held the title of associate head coach or assistant head coach in the NFL. Bisaccia has led his units to top-10 finishes in Rick Gosselin's special teams rankings eight times during his career (No. 7 in 2002 and 2007, No. 9 in 2008, No. 2 in 2009, No. 6 in 2012, No. 4 in 2013 and 2015, No. 5 in 2017) and has guided his teams to top-10 finishes in kickoff return average 11 times.
Under Bisaccia's direction the last two seasons, the Packers posted their best two-year mark on kickoff returns since 1954-55 (25.7 avg.) with an average of 25.5 yards that ranked No. 2 in the NFL in 2022-23. Green Bay led the league with six kickoff returns of 50-plus yards, the most by the team over a two-season span since 2003-04 (seven). Bisaccia also helped guide Green Bay to a No. 7 league ranking over the last two seasons in field-position margin (plus-1.4).
In 2023, Bisaccia tutored CB Keisean Nixon as he led the NFL in kickoff returns yards (782) and kickoff return average (26.1) on his way to earning first-team All-Pro honors from The Associated Press for the second straight season, just the fourth player to do so in back-to-back years (Mel Gray, 1990-91; Devin Hester, 2006-07; Cordarrelle Patterson, 2019-20). Nixon became just the second player in team history to lead the NFL in kickoff return yards in back-to-back seasons (Al Carmichael, 1956-57) and joined Steve Odom (1974-75) and Randall Cobb (2011-12) as the only players in franchise annals to register 700-plus yards on kickoff returns in back-to-back seasons. Bisaccia also helped the Packers rank No. 9 in the NFL last season in opponent average starting field position after kickoffs (24.8), including a league-best 12 drives started inside the opponent's 20-yard line.
Bisaccia worked with rookie K Anders Carlson in 2023 as he connected on at least one field goal in all 17 games, the most ever by a rookie in league history (previous high was 15 games). Carlson tied Mason Crosby's franchise mark (2013-14) by making a field goal in 17 consecutive games, and made 27 FGs on the season, the third most by a rookie in team annals. First-year P Daniel Whelan posted an average of 46.2 yards per punt under Bisaccia's direction in 2023, the second-best single-season mark in franchise history.
In Bisaccia's first season with the Packers in 2022, he helped Nixon become the first kick returner in franchise history to earn first-team AP All-Pro honors since the position was added in 1976. Nixon ranked No. 2 in the NFL with an average of 28.8 yards per kickoff return, the top single-season mark in team annals (min. 30 returns), and posted a league-high 1,009 yards on kickoff returns, just the third player in franchise history to lead the NFL in the category (Carmichael in 1956-57, Dave Hampton in 1971). Green Bay ranked No. 3 in the league in average starting field position after kickoffs (26.7), the top mark posted by the Packers since 2010 (27.4). Crosby connected on 25 of 29 field goals (86.2 pct.), including a 96.0 percentage (24 of 25) on kicks from inside 50 yards that ranked No. 5 in the NFL (min. 10 att.). The Packers finished the season ranked No. 22 in Gosselin's special teams rankings, a 10-spot improvement from their No. 32 ranking in 2021.
After being named interim head coach by Las Vegas on Oct. 11, 2021, Bisaccia guided the team to a 7-5 finish as the Raiders posted a 10-7 mark and made their first postseason appearance since 2016. The Raiders ended the regular season with four straight wins for the first time since 1990, including a 35-32 overtime victory in Week 18 vs. the Los Angeles Chargers to secure a playoff berth. Bisaccia received votes for both the NFL Coach of the Year and the NFL Assistant Coach of the Year in 2021 from AP.
P AJ Cole led the NFL with an average of 50.0 yards per punt in 2021 and ranked No. 5 in the league with a net average of 42.5 yards, earning first-team AP All-Pro honors and his first Pro Bowl selection. K Daniel Carlson set a single-season franchise record with 150 points (tied for No. 1 in the NFL), including a team-record 40 field goals, tied for the second most in a season in NFL history. Carlson earned second-team AP All-Pro honors and was named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week in Weeks 2, 12, 17 and 18, the first NFL kicker to earn the honor four times in a season.
Under Bisaccia's direction in 2020, Carlson set a single-season team record for FG percentage by posting a 94.3 mark (33 of 35) on his way to scoring 144 points, tied for No. 1 in the NFL on the season. WR Hunter Renfrow ranked No. 2 in the league with an average of 11.5 yards per punt return, while DE Maxx Crosby earned AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors in the season finale when he blocked two FGs to preserve the win. Crosby's two blocked kicks were tied for the most in a single game by an NFL player since at least 2000 as he joined DT Richard Seymour (2011) as the only Raiders since 2000 to block two kicks in a game.
Bisaccia tutored Cole in 2019 as he set team rookie records for punting average (46.0), net punting average (39.4) and punts inside the 20 (33, No. 5 in the NFL). The Raiders were No. 8 in the NFL in opponent kickoff return average (20.9) after ranking No. 22 in the league in the category in 2018. In Bisaccia's first year with the club in 2018, WR Dwayne Harris ranked No. 2 in the league with a 14.1-yard average on punt returns, highlighted by a franchise-record 99-yard TD return vs. Denver in Week 16.
In Bisaccia's five seasons with the Cowboys (2013-17), he guided a unit that ranked No. 5 in the NFL over that span in kickoff return average (24.2), including a No. 4 ranking in 2013 (25.5 avg.) after the team finished No. 29 in the category in 2012. Bisaccia's unit pinned opponents inside the 20-yard line a league-high 34 times in 2017, the second most in a season in team history, and the Cowboys also led the NFL in yards allowed on punt returns with just 75, the third fewest in team history.
In 2015, K Dan Bailey tied for the league lead in FG percentage (30 of 32, 93.8 percent) on his way to earning his first career Pro Bowl selection, and in 2014, Bisaccia tutored Louis-Philippe Ladouceur as he became the first long snapper in team history to earn Pro Bowl recognition. In Bisaccia's first year with the Cowboys in 2013, Harris ranked No. 2 in the NFL with a 30.6-yard average on kickoff returns and No. 3 with a 12.8-yard average on punt returns, while Bailey connected on 28 of 30 FGs (93.3 pct.) and set a single-season franchise record for the most field goals of 50-plus yards with six.
Before joining the Cowboys, Bisaccia spent two seasons with the San Diego Chargers, serving as the special teams coordinator in 2011 before adding assistant head coach to his duties in 2012. He guided the team to a No. 10 ranking in net punting average (39.7) in '11 after the Chargers finished last in the league in 2010 (28.7 avg.). P Mike Scifres ranked No. 6 in the NFL in punting average (47.5) in 2011, while WR Richard Goodman ranked No. 4 in the league with an average of 27.5 yards per kickoff return, the No. 2 mark in team history. In 2012, Scifres set a single-season franchise record for punting average (48.3), checking in at No. 3 in the NFL in the category.
Bisaccia entered the NFL coaching ranks in 2002 as special teams coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he would coach for nine seasons (2002-10). He served as the special teams coordinator from 2002-07 before adding the responsibility of assistant head coach and running backs coach in 2008. Bisaccia served as the associate head coach/special teams coordinator in 2009-10. During his nine seasons with the Buccaneers, he guided his units to top-10 rankings over that span in kickoff return average (No. 4, 23.0), opponent kickoff return average (No. 6, 21.0), fewest kickoff/punt returns surrendered for TDs (t-No. 4, five), punts placed inside the 20 (No. 7, 229) and opponent field goals blocked (t-No. 1, 12).
In 2009, the Buccaneers led the NFL in kickoff return average (26.3) and ranked No. 2 in opponent kickoff return average (19.1), their fourth straight season finishing in the top five in the NFL in opponent average. Tampa Bay led the league with six blocked kicks on the season, the second-best mark in franchise history. In 2008, rookie Clifton Smith became the first Buccaneer to be selected to the Pro Bowl as a kick returner and also earned second-team AP All-Pro honors after ranking in the top five in the NFL in both punt return average (No. 2, 14.1) and kickoff return average (No. 5, 27.6). Smith was the first NFL rookie to average 27.5-plus yards on kickoff returns and 14.0-plus yards on punt returns since Bears RB Gale Sayers in 1965.
In 2006, Bisaccia helped the Buccaneers rank No. 1 in the NFL in opponent kickoff return average (18.4) and guided LS Dave Moore to his first career Pro Bowl selection. In 2005, Josh Bidwell became the first punter in team history to earn Pro Bowl honors and earned second-team All-Pro recognition after ranking No. 3 in the NFL in punting average (45.6). In 2004, rookie CB Torrie Cox ranked No. 4 in the NFL with an average of 26.2 yards on kickoff returns.
In his first season with the Buccaneers in 2002, Bisaccia was part of a staff that guided the franchise to its first Super Bowl title. K Martin Gramatica tied for the NFL lead with 32 FGs, including 5 of 6 from 50-plus yards, and Tampa Bay ranked No. 4 in the league in kickoff return average (24.1) and No. 6 in average opponent starting field position after kickoffs (26.7), highlighted by 18 drives started inside the 20 (tied for No. 2).
Prior to joining the Buccaneers, Bisaccia spent 19 seasons coaching at the collegiate level. From 1999-2001, he coached at Mississippi, serving as the running backs coach and special teams coordinator with assistant head coach duties for his final two seasons. He tutored RB Deuce McAllister, who earned All-Southeastern Conference honors in 1999 and 2000 before being selected in the first round of the 2001 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints. In 2000, Bisaccia was nominated for the Broyles Award, which is awarded annually to the top assistant coach in college football. He spent five seasons (1994-98) as the running backs coach, special teams coordinator and recruiting coordinator at Clemson. Under his guidance, the Tigers set a single-season school record with eight blocked kicks in 1997 and blocked 15 kicks from 1995-97, the most in school history over a three-season span.
Prior to Clemson, Bisaccia spent six seasons (1988-93) at South Carolina, beginning as a graduate assistant for tight ends and wide receivers in 1988. He then served as a volunteer assistant for three seasons, first working with defensive ends and special teams (1989-90), followed by tight ends and special teams (1991). Bisaccia served as the running backs coach/special teams coordinator in 1992-93. He began his coaching career in 1983 at Wayne State in Nebraska, coaching defensive backs and special teams, and then tutored quarterbacks and wide receivers for the Wildcats from 1984-87.
Bisaccia was a four-year starter (1979-82) at defensive back for Yankton (S.D.) College, serving as a team captain in 1982 and twice earning All-South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference honors (1981-82). He signed as a free agent in 1983 with the Philadelphia Stars of the USFL.
Bisaccia was born June 3, 1960, in Yonkers, N.Y., and attended New Fairfield (Conn.) High School. He and his wife, Jeanne, have three daughters, Michele, Elizabeth and Maddie, a son, Richie, and five grandchildren, Joel, AnnaJean, Cash, Everett and Ace.
