Antonio Pierce

Antonio Durran Pierce (born October 26, 1978) is an American football coach and former linebacker who is the head coach for 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 years
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.

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.

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.

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.

Washington Redskins
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. 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
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, saving a touchdown and forcing the Packers to settle for a field goal instead. The Giants would go on to win in overtime.

Plaxico Burress Shooting Incident
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. 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 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.

Retirement
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.

High school
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. 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
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. 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. He resigned during an NCAA recruiting violation investigation prior to 2022 season. In August 2023, ASU announced a self-imposed bowl ban, hoping to lessen further penalties resulting from the ongoing investigation.

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

On October 31, 2023, Pierce was named the interim head coach of the Raiders following the firing of head coach Josh McDaniels. He named Aidan O'Connell as the starting quarterback for the rest of the season on November 1, benching Jimmy Garoppolo. 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

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.

Personal life
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.

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.

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
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. 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. 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. He was represented in the matter by notable NYC criminal defense attorney, Michael F. Bachner.

Broadcasting
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. Near the end of the day's show he asked to stay for the remainder of the week, which Stern agreed to.

NFL
* Interim head coach