Antonio Pierce was named head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders on Friday, after serving in an interim role for the last nine games of the 2023 season.
In Pierce's interim tenure, he lead the team to five victories and a sweep over the AFC West including a franchise-record 63 points scored against the Los Angeles Chargers. Here are a few things to know about the Raiders' new hire, who has Super Bowl pedigree.
Straight Outta Compton
Antonio Pierce grew up a fan of the Silver and Black. He was raised in Compton, California, and played high school football at Paramount High School before playing collegiately at Mount San Antonio College and the University of Arizona. The first Raiders game he attended as a child was at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum against the Kansas City Chiefs.
"I was born a Raider," Pierce said in November at his introductory press conference as interim head coach. "I was born with the Raiders rolling in the Coliseum in L.A. I was rolling with N.W.A., talking Straight Outta Compton, rocking Raider hats. ... That's what set me up for this. I was born this way."
Giant among men
Pierce began his NFL career as a UDFA with Washington in 2001. Despite a successful senior campaign at Arizona, he was overlooked by NFL scouts due to his size. By his fourth season in the league, he had established himself as the starting middle linebacker for Washington.
In 2005, he left the nation's capital for the Big Apple, signing with the New York Giants, where he became a team captain and cemented himself as a pivotal piece of their defensive unit. In five seasons with New York, he started 69 games while compiling 377 solo tackles, 33 pass deflections, seven sacks, six forced fumbles and four interceptions. He earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2006 and was a Super Bowl champion in the 2007 season.
Former coaching background
After a brief career in sports broadcasting, Pierce's first head coaching job came at Long Beach Polytechnic High School in 2014. He led the Jackrabbits to an 11-2 in his first season, with a notable 99 points scored in a game against Compton High School.
One of the more notable players he coached at the high school was five-star cornerback prospect Jack Jones, who Pierce later coached at Arizona State as well.
"He means everything to me," Jones said of Pierce. "He's damn near like a father figure. ... From high school all the way up until now. Just mentoring me through the ups and downs. He's a big piece of my life. I mean, without him, who knows where I'd be at."
Like father, like son
One of Pierce's sons, De'Andre Pierce, also played under him at Long Beach Poly before playing collegiately at Boise State and Arizona State. As a safety for the Sun Devils, De'Andre totaled 86 total tackles, four pass deflections and three interceptions.
De'Andre received an invitation to the Raiders rookie minicamp in May 2023, but is now following in his father's footsteps, serving as a defensive quality control coach at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
