Rich Bisaccia, former Tampa Bay Buccaneers associate head coach and special teams coordinator, has agreed to terms with the Chargers to become San Diego’s special teams coach.
“Rich’s special teams have had success in this league,” said Chargers Head Coach Norv Turner. “He’s been with Tampa Bay for nine years and their teams have been consistently good to excellent. He helped them win a Super Bowl. Rich is a high-energy guy that I know will bring out the best in our players.”
Bisaccia (bih-SAW-chee-uh) joined the Buccaneers in 2002 and in his first year won a Super Bowl championship as Tampa Bay featured one of the league’s top special teams units. In 2010, the Buccaneers coverage units were among the NFL’s best, allowing just 7.3 yards per punt return (7th in the NFL) and 20.7 yards per kickoff return (8th in the NFL). Tampa Bay’s kickoff return unit also was one of the league’s Top-10, averaging 24.3 yards per return (8th in the NFL), including an 89-yard touchdown return.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for me to be part of a winning organization and work with Norv Turner. There’s a real opportunity here to win it all,” Bisaccia said. “I’ve worked with Jon Gruden and now I have the opportunity to work with Norv. These are two of the best coaching minds in football. I’m really looking forward to it.”
Bisaccia spent nine seasons in Tampa Bay (2002-10) and the Buccaneers’ kickoff teams were consistently among the NFL’s best. During those nine seasons, Tampa Bay allowed the sixth-lowest kickoff return average (21.0 yards per return), yet the Buccaneers averaged 23.0 yards on their own returns, fourth-best in the NFL. They also scored eight touchdowns in the return game, four on punts and four on kickoffs.
Bisaccia’s finest season in Tampa Bay may have been 2009, when the Buccaneers led the NFL with six blocked kicks. They also led the NFL in kickoff return average (26.3), ranked fourth in punt return average (11.6) and second in opponent kickoff return average (19.1).
A former defensive back at Yankton College in South Dakota, the native of Yonkers, New York began his coaching career at Wayne State University in Nebraska in 1983. He worked as an assistant coach at Wayne State, South Carolina, Clemson and Ole Miss before landing with the Buccaneers in 2002.
