Donovan Raiola (/ˈdɒnəvən raɪˈoʊlə/; born December 13, 1982) is a former American football center and current offensive line coach for the Nebraska Cornhuskers.[1][2] He was signed by the St. Louis Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2006. He played college football at Wisconsin. He played high school football at Kamehameha Schools in Honolulu, Hawaii.
| Nebraska Cornhuskers | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Offensive line coach | ||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Born: | December 13, 1982 Honolulu, Hawaii | ||||
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||
| Weight: | 293 lb (133 kg) | ||||
| Career information | |||||
| High school: | Kamehameha Schools (Honolulu, Hawaii) | ||||
| College: | Wisconsin | ||||
| Undrafted: | 2006 | ||||
| Career history | |||||
| As a player: | |||||
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| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||
| As a coach: | |||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||
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Raiola has also been a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers, St. Louis Rams, Seattle Seahawks, Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Washington Redskins. He is the younger brother of former Nebraska and NFL center Dominic Raiola.
College career edit
At Wisconsin, Raiola started 39 games and was a team captain for his senior year. He was named an honorable mention to the All-Big Ten Conference team three times.[3]
Professional career edit
Omaha Nighthawks edit
Raiola was signed by the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League on September 8, 2010.[4]
Tampa Bay Buccaneers edit
On December 7, 2010, Raiola was signed by the Buccaneers to replace injured starter Jeff Faine.
Washington Redskins edit
Raiola signed with the Washington Redskins on August 4, 2011.
Coaching career edit
Raiola served as an intern for the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors football team before joining the Notre Dame Fighting Irish as a graduate assistant, reuniting him with his former offensive line coach with both the Bears and Notre Dame, Harry Hiestand. Hiestand returned to the Bears in 2018, and Raiola followed to serve as the assistant offensive line coach.[3] Raiola coached with the Bears in this capacity through Week 13 of the 2021 NFL season, when he departed to become the offensive line coach for the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
References edit
- ^ Gabriel, Parker. "Frost, Huskers finalize addition of OC Mark Whipple from Pitt, new OL coach Donovan Raiola". JournalStar.com. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
- ^ "Whipple and Raiola Named to Nebraska Coaching Staff". University of Nebraska. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
- ^ a b Biggs, Brad (February 2, 2018). "Bears hire ex-player Donovan Raiola as assistant offensive line coach". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 2, 2018.
- ^ "UFL Transactions". OurSportsCentral.com. United Football League. September 8, 2010. Retrieved September 8, 2010.