Jack Del Rio

photo courtesy of The Paris Musketeers

Our Athlete of the Week is Jack Del Rio. On Friday, this Castro Valley sports legend was named as head coach of the Paris Musketeers, the only French team in the European League of Football (ELF). Del Rio is only the second head coach in the team’s franchise history.

The Musketeers open their season on May 17 in Paris against the two-time defending champions, the Rhein Fire. 

Del Rio has more than 30 years of experience in the NFL. His career includes head coaching tenures with the Jacksonville Jaguars (11 years) and Oakland Raiders (4 years) and defensive coordinator stints with the Denver Broncos and Washington Commanders. Jack earned a Super Bowl ring as the linebackers coach with Ray Lewis and the Baltimore Ravens in 1999. 

Castro Valley sports fans will know Del Rio first came to fame as an All-American Linebacker at USC, where he was drafted in the 3rd round by the New Orleans Saints in the 1985 NFL Draft. He played in the NFL for a decade, including stints in Kansas City, Dallas, and Minnesota. While with the Vikings, Del Rio led the team in tackles for three consecutive years and was named to the 1995 Pro Bowl.