Bay Area Football: Raiders and 49ers Head Coach Shake-Ups

An East Bay native is coming home as head coach of the Oakland Raiders. Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio has been named the Raiders 19th head coach in franchise history, the team announced today.

Del Rio has been the Broncos’ defensive coordinator since 2012 and previously was head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2003-2011. Under his tenure as head coach, the Jaguars had a 68-71 record and made the playoffs twice.

He will take over from interim head coach Tony Sparano, who took over head coaching duties after the Raiders started the season 0-4 and head coach Dennis Allen was fired mid-season. The Raiders finished with a 3-13 record.

“Jack Del Rio brings a strong leadership presence to this organization,” Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie said in a statement. “He has developed an excellent reputation as a coach in this league and we are happy that he is a Raider.”

During Del Rio’s tenure with the Broncos, the team won the AFC West division three times and advanced to Super Bowl XLVIII last year.

Though Denver’s recent success has been credited more to quarterback Peyton Manning’s offense, Del Rio’s defense has ranked highly in the league. In 2014, the Broncos’ defense ranked third in the NFL in yards per game. In 2012, it ranked second and tied for the league lead in sacks. Del Rio also filled in as head coach of the Broncos while John Fox was out for a heart procedure.

The Broncos went 3-1 in that time. Del Rio was born in Castro Valley and attended Hayward High School, where he played football, baseball and basketball. He went on to play baseball and football at the University of Southern California, where he was teammates with future Hall of Fame pitcher Randy Johnson and Oakland A’s slugger Mark McGwire.

He was selected in the third round of the 1985 NFL draft by the New Orleans Saints and played linebacker for the Saints, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Dallas Cowboys and the Minnesota Vikings in his 11 years in the league.

His son, Luke, is a quarterback at Oregon State University.

AND FOR THE SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS:

The San Francisco 49ers choice to succeed former head coach Jim Harbaugh is the coach who immediately preceded him.

Defensive line coach Jim Tomsula was named the 49ers head coach Wednesday, team officials announced.

He previously was the 49ers interim head coach for one game in 2010 after Mike Singletary was fired. The 49ers beat the Arizona Cardinals 38-7 in that game. Harbaugh was then hired to take over in 2011. Tomsula now takes over following the controversial departure of Harbaugh amid disagreements with the team’s front office.

Harbaugh was the 49ers most successful head coach in years, taking the team to three NFC Championship games and one Super Bowl while accumulating a 44-19-1 record over four seasons. Team CEO Jed York and general manager Trent Baalke called Harbaugh’s departure a mutual decision with ownership. Harbaugh went on to take over the football team at the University of Michigan.

“After conducting a thorough coaching search, and meeting with a number of outstanding candidates, Jim Tomsula clearly is the right man to lead this team,” York said in a statement. “Jim is a great teacher and a tremendous mentor who conducts himself with great class and integrity.”

Tomsula has worked with the 49ers for eight seasons as defensive line coach except for the single game when he was head coach.

He has no previous experience as a head coach or a defensive coordinator in the NFL. His defensive line has been dominant, ranking fourth in the league in rushing yards allowed per game since he came on board in 2007, according to team officials.

Tomsula may not have head coaching experience, but he was head coach of the NFL Europa team the Rhein Fire in 2006 and was defensive coordinator for the Berlin Thunder for two seasons, where he helped win World Bowl XII. Tomsula lives in San Jose with his wife, Julie, two daughters, Britney and Brooke, and son Bear.

--Bay City News

-- Logo images courtesy of Oakland Raiders and SF 49ers.

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