History of Jack Del Rio in Timeline
Jack Del Rio is an American professional football coach and former NFL linebacker. He played college football at USC before being drafted into the NFL in 1985. Del Rio played for multiple teams, including the Saints, Chiefs, Cowboys, Vikings, and Dolphins, before retiring in 1996. Currently, he is the head coach of the Paris Musketeers in the European League of Football (ELF).
April 4, 1963: Jack Del Rio Born
On April 4, 1963, Jack Del Rio Jr. was born.
1981: Started College Football Career
In 1981, Jack Del Rio began playing college football for the USC Trojans.
1981: Drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays
In 1981, Jack Del Rio was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 22nd round of the MLB Draft but opted to play football and baseball at USC.
1983: Named to the Third-Team All-American Team
As a junior, Jack Del Rio made the third-team 1983 All-American team.
1984: Earned Consensus All-American Honors
In 1984, Jack Del Rio earned consensus All-American honors and was named co-MVP of the Rose Bowl.
1984: College Football Career End
In 1984, Jack Del Rio finished playing college football for the USC Trojans.
1985: Drafted by the New Orleans Saints
In 1985, Jack Del Rio was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the third round of the NFL draft.
1986: Lost Starting Position
In 1986, Jack Del Rio lost his starting position with the New Orleans Saints.
August 1987: Traded to the Kansas City Chiefs
In August 1987, Jack Del Rio was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs.
1988: Started Ten Games at Left Outside Linebacker
In 1988, Jack Del Rio started ten games at left outside linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs.
August 29, 1989: Released by Kansas City Chiefs
On August 29, 1989, Jack Del Rio was released by the Kansas City Chiefs.
August 30, 1989: Claimed by Dallas Cowboys
On August 30, 1989, Jack Del Rio was claimed off waivers by the Dallas Cowboys.
1991: Led Dallas Cowboys in Tackles
In 1991, Jack Del Rio led the Dallas Cowboys with 130 total tackles.
March 4, 1992: Signed with Minnesota Vikings
On March 4, 1992, Jack Del Rio signed with the Minnesota Vikings as a free agent.
1995: Suffered a Knee Injury
In 1995, Jack Del Rio suffered a knee injury, limiting his playing time and marking the end of his career.
June 2, 1996: Signed with Miami Dolphins
On June 2, 1996, Jack Del Rio signed a one-year contract with the Miami Dolphins.
1996: Retired from the NFL
In 1996, Jack Del Rio retired from playing in the NFL.
1997: Began Coaching Career
In 1997, Jack Del Rio started his coaching career as an assistant with the New Orleans Saints.
1997: Hired by New Orleans Saints as Strength and Conditioning Coach
In 1997, Jack Del Rio was hired by the New Orleans Saints as the team's strength and conditioning coach.
1999: Joined the Baltimore Ravens
In 1999, Jack Del Rio joined the Baltimore Ravens as a linebacker coach.
1999: Became Linebacker Coach for Baltimore Ravens
In 1999, Jack Del Rio took the job as Linebacker Coach with the Baltimore Ravens.
1999: Made the playoffs for the first time since 1999
In 1999, The following season, the team made the playoffs for the first time since advancing all the way to the AFC title game in 1999.
1999: won their first playoff game since 1999
In 1999, The team returned to the playoffs in 2007 winning their first playoff game since 1999.
2000: Won Super Bowl XXXV with Ravens
In 2000, Jack Del Rio was part of the Baltimore Ravens' Super Bowl-winning team.
2001: Named Defensive Coordinator of Carolina Panthers
After the 2001 season, Jack Del Rio was named defensive coordinator of the Carolina Panthers.
2002: Led Panthers to Second Ranked Defense
In 2002, Jack Del Rio led the Carolina Panthers to the second-ranked defense in the league by total yards.
2002: Raiders make the playoffs for the first time since 2002
In 2016, Jack Del Rio led the Raiders to a 12-4 record, with the team making the playoffs for the first time since 2002.
2003: Keep chopping wood incident
In 2003, Del Rio introduced mantra "keep chopping wood" that led to punter Chris Hanson seriously wounded his non-kicking foot with an axe.
2003: Became Head Coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars
In 2003, Jack Del Rio became the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
2004: Jaguars narrowly missed playoffs
In 2004, the Jaguars narrowly missed the playoffs with a 9-7 record, the first winning record in five seasons.
2006: Jaguars cut quarterback Byron Leftwich
In 2006, the Jacksonville Jaguars cut quarterback Byron Leftwich.
2007: Returned to the playoffs in 2007
In 2007, the Jacksonville Jaguars returned to the playoffs.
April 3, 2008: Del Rio's contract with the Jaguars was extended through the 2012 season
On April 3, 2008, Del Rio's contract with the Jaguars was extended through the 2012 season.
January 11, 2010: Offered Head Coaching Job at USC
On January 11, 2010, Jack Del Rio was offered the head coaching job at USC.
November 29, 2011: Fired as Head Coach of Jacksonville Jaguars
On November 29, 2011, Jack Del Rio was fired as the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
2011: Dismissed from Jaguars
In 2011, Jack Del Rio was dismissed from the Jaguars.
January 27, 2012: Hired as Defensive Coordinator of Denver Broncos
On January 27, 2012, Jack Del Rio was hired as the new defensive coordinator of the Denver Broncos.
2012: Del Rio's contract with the Jaguars was extended through the 2012 season
On April 3, 2008, Del Rio's contract with the Jaguars was extended through the 2012 season.
November 4, 2013: Named Interim Head Coach for Denver Broncos
On November 4, 2013, Jack Del Rio was named interim head coach for the Denver Broncos.
January 14, 2015: Hired as Head Coach of Oakland Raiders
On January 14, 2015, Jack Del Rio was hired to become the new head coach of the Oakland Raiders.
2015: Became Head Coach of the Oakland Raiders
In 2015, Jack Del Rio became the head coach of the Oakland Raiders.
2015: Inducted into USC Athletic Hall of Fame
In 2015, Jack Del Rio was inducted into the USC Athletic Hall of Fame.
2016: Raiders make the playoffs for the first time since 2002
In 2016, Jack Del Rio led the Raiders to a 12-4 record, with the team making the playoffs for the first time since 2002.
February 10, 2017: Signed Contract Extension with Raiders
On February 10, 2017, Jack Del Rio signed a four-year contract extension with the Oakland Raiders.
2017: Fired from Raiders
In 2017, Jack Del Rio was fired from the Oakland Raiders.
2019: Considered for Bengals Defensive Coordinator
In 2019, Jack Del Rio was under consideration to become the defensive coordinator of the Cincinnati Bengals.
January 2, 2020: Hired as Washington Football Team Defensive Coordinator
On January 2, 2020, Jack Del Rio was hired by the Washington Football Team to serve as their defensive coordinator.
2020: Became Defensive Coordinator of the Washington Commanders
In 2020, Jack Del Rio became the defensive coordinator of the Washington Commanders.
2020: Civil unrest during some of the 2020 George Floyd protests
In June 2022, Del Rio made a controversial comment on his personal Twitter account where he referred the Capitol attack as a "dust up" and compared the storming of the Capitol to overturn official election results to the civil unrest that occurred during some of the 2020 George Floyd protests.
June 2022: Controversial Twitter Comments
In June 2022, Jack Del Rio made a controversial comment on his personal Twitter account and was fined $100,000 by the Washington Commanders.
November 2023: Fired by Commanders
In November 2023, Jack Del Rio was fired by the Washington Commanders.
2023: Dismissed from Washington Commanders
In 2023, Jack Del Rio was dismissed from the Washington Commanders.
August 29, 2024: Hired as Senior Advisor for Wisconsin Badgers
On August 29, 2024, Jack Del Rio was hired by the Wisconsin Badgers as a senior advisor.
November 11, 2024: Resigned from Wisconsin Badgers
On November 11, 2024, Jack Del Rio resigned from the Wisconsin Badgers after being arrested for impaired driving.
January 27, 2025: Hired as Head Coach of Paris Musketeers
On January 27, 2025, Jack Del Rio was hired as the head coach and defensive coordinator for the Paris Musketeers of the European League of Football (ELF).
