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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

Pierce was released by the team on February 11, 2010.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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