South Carolina could have interest in Dallas Cowboys assistant head coach
Rich Bisaccia was made for the South Carolina head coaching job, and the South Carolina head coaching job was made for Rich Bisaccia.
The Cowboys assistant head coach and special teams coordinator spent 11 seasons coaching in the state of South Carolina, including six with the Gamecocks. Three of his children were born in the state, which the family considers home.
Bisaccia declined comment about the South Carolina job specifically, but acknowledged he hopes for an opportunity as a head coach at some point in his career.
“I’ll say what I’ve always said: I have aspirations certainly of being a head coach,” he said Wednesday.
Several of Bisaccia’s former players in Tampa Bay, including Hall of Famer Derrick Brooks and John Lynch, are pushing Bisaccia for the South Carolina job.
“He’s a good manager,” Brooks said Wednesday. “He can relate to any player in any situation. By being special teams coordinator, he touches every aspect of a team, and you have to touch every aspect of a young man’s life when you lead them in college. Obviously, the number of years he’s spent in college prior to going to the NFL, being in the SEC, that background, plus being a part of a championship organization [in Tampa] and being in Dallas on the opposite end of the spectrum, with the Bucs being here and the Cowboys being there in terms of value of teams and exposure, he’s been able to see all that.
“I just know with his personality, if I’m a kid and he’s sitting in my room, I can play for him. That’s what I will tell my son, who’s in high school and being recruited now. My son will make his own decision, but Rich Bisaccia is a man I would want my son to play for in college.”
Steve Spurrier resigned as South Carolina’s head coach this week. He was 86-49 in his 10-plus seasons.
In a press conference , USC athletic director Ray Tanner said the school will use a search firm to assist in Spurrier’s replacement. As of Tuesday, the Gamecocks had not reached out to potential candidates.
Bisaccia spent 19 seasons coaching at the college level. He was a graduate assistant at South Carolina in 1988, helping coach the tight ends and receivers. He then served as a volunteer assistant for three seasons, working with the defensive ends and special teams from 1988-89 and the tight ends and special teams in 1990. He then was hired full time to coach the running backs and special teams, spending two seasons in Columbia in that position before leaving for five seasons at Clemson.
Bisaccia was a candidate for three head coaching jobs after the 2013 season, interviewing for the Browns, Redskins and Titans. He is in his third season with the Cowboys, adding the assistant head coach title before this season.
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This story was originally published October 14, 2015 at 7:18 PM with the headline "South Carolina could have interest in Dallas Cowboys assistant head coach."