Matt Raich is an American football coach currently with the Indianapolis Colts, serving as senior assistant defensive line coach.[1][2] A 26-year coaching veteran, he has 18 seasons of NFL experience.[3] Raich is a native of Monaca, Pa.[4]

Matt Raich
Indianapolis Colts
Position:Assistant defensive line coach
Personal information
Born:Monaca, PA
Career information
College:Westminster College
Career history
As a coach:
As an executive:

Coaching career

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College Coaching (1993-94; 1996-2002; 2013)

Collegiately, Raich coached at Duquesne (2013), Robert Morris (1996-98, 2000-02), Glenville State (1999) and his alma mater, Westminster (Pa.) College (1993-94).

German Federal League (1999)

He coached in the German Federal League in 1999 and served as the defensive coordinator for the Hildesheim Invaders.

NFL Coaching (2002-2012; 2014-18)

Prior to Indianapolis, he coached in the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals (2018),[5][6] Detroit Lions (2014-17),[7] Arizona Cardinals (2007-2012) and Pittsburgh Steelers (2002-06). He won Super Bowl XL with the Steelers at the conclusion of the 2005 season.

Raich started his NFL career as a player personnel intern for Pittsburgh from 2002 to 2003.

St. Louis BattleHawks (2020)

In 2020, Raich served as the co-defensive coordinator/linebackers coach for the St. Louis BattleHawks of the XFL[8]

Indianapolis Colts (2020-current)

In 2021, the Colts finished in the top-five in takeaways (33, second), fumble recoveries (14, tied-first) and interceptions (19, tied-third). Defensive tackle DeForest Buckner earned his second career Pro Bowl selection.

In 2020, the Colts defense ranked in the top-10 in various categories, including total defense (332.1 yards per game, eighth), rush defense (90.5 yards per game, second), takeaways (25, tied-fifth) and points per game allowed (22.6, tied-10th). For the first time since 1971, the Colts ranked in the top-five in run defense. For the first time since 2007, Indianapolis finished in the top-10 in total defense.

Buckner also earned Associated Press First Team All-Pro honors in 2020 as he registered a single-season franchise record for most sacks (9.5) by a defensive tackle. Buckner joined Art Donovan (1954-57) and Gene Lipscomb (1958-59) as the only Colts defensive tackles to earn that honor.

Coaching Career Team Position
1993-1994 Westminster (Pa.) College Assistant Coach
1996-1998 Robert Morris Assistant Coach
1999 Glenville State Assistant Coach
1999 Hildesheim Invaders (German Federal League) Defensive Coordinator
2000-2002 Robert Morris Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator
2002-2003 Pittsburgh Steelers Player Personnel Intern
2004-2006 Pittsburgh Steelers Offensive Assistant
2007-2008 Arizona Cardinals Defensive Assistant
2009-2012 Arizona Cardinals Linebackers
2013 Duquesne Linebackers
2014 Detroit Lions Defensive Quality Control
2015-2017 Detroit Lions Defensive Assistant/Defensive Ends
2018 Cincinnati Bengals Defensive Assistant/Assistant Defensive Line
2020 St. Louis BattleHawks (XFL) Co-Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers
2020-2021 Indianapolis Colts Special Defensive Assistant/Assistant Defensive Line
2022 Indianapolis Colts Assistant Defensive Line

Playing career

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Raich played linebacker at Westminster (Pa.) College from 1989 to 1994 and finished as the school's leading tackler. He earned three NAIA All-America Awards and was part of Westminster teams that won 42 of 48 games, including the NAIA National Championship in 1989.

References

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  1. ^ "Colts Announce More Additions To 2020 Coaching Staff". www.colts.com. Retrieved 2022-01-20.
  2. ^ Alper, Josh (2020-02-17). "Colts add Matt Raich, Jerrod Johnson to coaching staff". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
  3. ^ "The Official Website of the Indianapolis Colts". www.colts.com. Retrieved 2022-01-20.
  4. ^ Bires, Mike. "Six NFL assistant coaches hail from Beaver County". The Times. Retrieved 2022-01-20.
  5. ^ "New Coaches Overview for 2018". www.bengals.com. Retrieved 2022-01-20.
  6. ^ "Teryl Austin hires defensive line coach Matt Raich from Lions". Detroit Lions. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
  7. ^ foxsports (2014-02-04). "Lions hire Tony Oden and Matt Raich". FOX Sports. Retrieved 2022-01-20.
  8. ^ "Jon Hayes adds more key members to XFL St. Louis". Pro Football Newsroom. 2019-07-08. Retrieved 2022-01-20.