Former Arizona linebacker Antonio Pierce has been named the interim head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders.
Late Tuesday night, the Raiders announced that Coach Josh McDaniels and General Manager Dave Ziegler had been fired.
Pierce, 45, is believed to be the first former UA player to serve as an NFL head coach.
Pierce, who played at Arizona in 1999 and 2000 before a lengthy career in the NFL with Washington and the New York Giants, had served as the Raiders’ linebackers coach the past two seasons.
Prior to that, Pierce worked in multiple capacities for Arizona State under Herm Edwards. Pierce resigned from his post at ASU in February 2022 amid an investigation into recruiting violations during the pandemic.
Then-ASU linebackers coach Antonio Pierce watches as linebacker Jay Jay Wilson runs a drill during a football spring practice at the Kajikawa practice fields in Tempe on March 22, 2018.
Pierce had a significant role in recruiting for the Sun Devils, as recruiting coordinator was one of his titles. He came to ASU from Long Beach Polytechnic High School, where was he was head coach of one of Southern California’s top programs.
Pierce hasn’t had much, if any, of a relationship with the UA over the past 20-plus years. A rift developed between him and the school when then-UA coach John Mackovic wouldn’t allow Pierce and others to train on the Wildcats’ practice field for the 2001 NFL Draft. Pierce was not selected.
Pierce worked as an analyst for ESPN after retiring from the NFL. He coached at Poly from 2014-17 before joining the ASU staff.
The Raiders are 3-5 and host the Giants on Sunday.
VIDEO: Speaking Monday, Oct. 30, 2023 -- two days after his Arizona Wildcats defeated No. 11 Oregon State 27-24 for their second consecutive win over a ranked opponent -- Arizona football coach Jedd Fisch discussed the culture change within the Wildcat program. (Justin Spears/Arizona Daily Star)
