Jerry Olsavsky

Last updated

Jerry Olsavsky
Duquesne Dukes
Position:Defensive assistant
Personal information
Born: (1967-03-29) March 29, 1967 (age 57)
Youngstown, Ohio, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:221 lb (100 kg)
Career information
College: Pittsburgh
NFL draft: 1989  / round: 10 / pick: 258
Career history
As a player:
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
As a coach:
  • Youngstown State (2003–2009)
    Linebackers coach
  • Pittsburgh Steelers (20102014)
    Defensive assistant
  • Pittsburgh Steelers (20152022)
    Inside linebackers coach
  • Duquesne (2023–present)
    Defensive assistant
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Tackles:232
Sacks:2.5
Forced fumbles:4
Interceptions:1
Player stats at PFR

Jerome Donald Olsavsky (born March 29, 1967) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker and coach in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, [1] Baltimore Ravens and the Cincinnati Bengals.

Contents

Playing career

Olsavsky was born in the industrial town of Youngstown, Ohio. He gained early recognition as a star football player at Chaney High School and went on to play collegiately at the University of Pittsburgh. Following his graduation, he was selected by the Steelers in the tenth round of the 1989 NFL draft. [2] Olsavsky finished his playing career in 1998 with the Baltimore Ravens.

Coaching

When Olsavsky ended his career in professional football, he spent several years coaching in various places, such as Carnegie Mellon University. He also served as an assistant strength coach at North Carolina for one season. He then served as an assistant football coach at Youngstown State University for seven seasons coaching linebackers. [3]

Jerry was hired on January 29, 2010, to serve as the defensive assistant for the Pittsburgh Steelers, replacing Lou Spanos. He was promoted to inside linebackers coach on February 6, 2015. [4] On February 22, 2023, the Steelers hired Aaron Curry to replace Olsavsky as their inside linebackers coach. [5]

In 2023, Olsavsky was hired as a defensive assistant for Duquesne. [6]

Family

Jerry resides in Pittsburgh with his three children, Joseph, [7] Martone, and Dominic.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rod Woodson</span> American football player and coach (born 1965)

Roderick Kevin Woodson is an American former professional football cornerback in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons. Widely considered one of the greatest cornerbacks of all time, Woodson holds the NFL record for fumble recoveries (32) by a defensive player, and interceptions returned for touchdown (12). He was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1993.

Anthony Lee Weaver is an American football coach and former player who is the defensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served for the Cleveland Browns, the Buffalo Bills, the Baltimore Ravens, the Houston Texans and the New York Jets. Weaver was a college football defensive end at Notre Dame and was drafted by the Ravens in the second round of the 2002 NFL draft. He also previously played for the Texans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Vrabel</span> American football player and coach (born 1975)

Michael George Vrabel is an American professional football coach and former linebacker. He currently serves as a coaching and personnel consultant for the Cleveland Browns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joey Porter</span> American football player and coach (born 1977)

Joseph Eugene Porter Sr. is an American professional football coach and former player. He played as a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Colorado State Rams and was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the 1999 NFL draft. A four-time Pro Bowl selection, Porter won Super Bowl XL with the Steelers and was also a member of the Miami Dolphins and Arizona Cardinals. The Steelers drafted his son, Joey Porter Jr., with the thirty-second overall selection of the 2023 NFL draft.

Cornell Desmond Brown is an American football coach and former American college and professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football for Virginia Tech, and earned All-American honors twice. Drafted late in the sixth round of the 1997 NFL draft, he played professionally for the NFL's Baltimore Ravens. In 2013, Brown was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame.

Lawrence Edward Foote Jr. is an American football coach and former player who currently serves as the pass game coordinator and inside linebackers coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the linebackers coach for the Arizona Cardinals. Foote was a college football All-American for the Michigan Wolverines, and was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fourth round of the 2002 NFL draft. He also played briefly for the Detroit Lions and the Arizona Cardinals. In total, Foote played in the NFL as a linebacker for 13 seasons and earned two Super Bowl rings with the Steelers, Super Bowl XL and Super Bowl XLIII.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clark Haggans</span> American football player (1977–2023)

Clark Cromwell Haggans was an American professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Colorado State Rams as a defensive end, and was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fifth round of the 2000 NFL draft. Haggans played in the NFL from 2000 through 2012 for the Steelers, Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers.

Hardy Otto Nickerson Sr. is an American former professional football player and coach. He played as a linebacker for four teams over 16 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) from 1987 to 2002. He played college football for the California Golden Bears. He was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fifth round of the 1987 NFL draft. Nickerson spent the prime of his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The hiring of head coaches Sam Wyche and Tony Dungy allowed him to play in the middle in a 4–3 defense for both coaches; Nickerson played in a 3–4 defense with the Steelers. While playing in the 4–3, he went to five Pro Bowls, and was selected for the National Football League 1990s All-Decade Team.

Carnell Augustino Lake is an American former professional football player and coach who is the defensive coordinator for the Memphis Showboats of the United Football League (UFL). He was a safety and cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He is a member of the NFL 1990s All-Decade Team. He was the cornerbacks coach for the UCLA Bruins under head coach Rick Neuheisel in 2009 before leaving after one season for family reasons. He was the Pittsburgh Steelers defensive backs coach until February 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Harbaugh</span> American football coach (born 1962)

John William Harbaugh is an American professional football coach who is the head coach for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). Previously, he coached the defensive backs for the Philadelphia Eagles and served as the Eagles special teams coach for nine years. Harbaugh and his younger brother, former San Francisco 49ers and current Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh, are the first pair of brothers in NFL history to serve as head coaches. Jack Harbaugh, Jim and John's father, served 45 years as a college defensive coach, an assistant coach, and a running backs coach. John and the Ravens beat Jim and the 49ers at Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans on February 3, 2013, by a score of 34–31.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Smith (linebacker)</span> American football player and coach (born 1981)

Michael Lee Smith is a former American football linebacker. He played for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL) and Texas Tech at the collegiate level. He was selected by the Ravens in the seventh round of the 2005 NFL draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billy Davis (American football coach)</span> American football player and coach (born 1965)

Bill Davis is an American football coach who is the linebackers coach for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ted Monachino</span> American football coach (born 1966)

Ted Monachino is an American football coach who is currently the defensive line coach at North Carolina. He was hired by the Tar Heels in 2023 as Senior Defensive Analyst before being elevated to the defensive line position following the departures of Tim Cross and Gene Chizik. A longtime assistant in the National Football League (NFL), Monachino coached for several teams, including most recently as outside linebackers coach for the Atlanta Falcons. Monachino also coached for Missouri in 2018 and served as the defensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts from 2016 to 2017. He was also formerly the linebackers coach for the Baltimore Ravens from 2010 to 2015. He was part of the Ravens' coaching staff that won Super Bowl XLVII.

Isaiah "Mike" Caldwell, Jr. is an American football coach who is the linebackers coach & run game coordinator for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the defensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2022 to 2023. After the entire Jacksonville defensive staff was fired in early 2024, he joined the Las Vegas Raiders as their linebackers coach and run game coordinator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aaron Curry (American football)</span> American football player and coach (born 1986)

Aaron Curry is an American professional football coach and former linebacker who is the inside linebackers coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). Curry was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the first round in the 2009 NFL draft out of Wake Forest. Curry also played for the Oakland Raiders in 2011 and 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don Martindale</span> American football coach (born 1963)

Don "Wink" Martindale is an American football coach, currently the defensive coordinator at the University of Michigan. He previously served as the defensive coordinator for the New York Giants and Baltimore Ravens from 2018 to 2023.

Jerry Rosburg is an American football coach, who most recently served as the interim head coach for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). In 2008, he was hired as assistant head coach/special teams coach for the Baltimore Ravens of the NFL. He was part of the Ravens' coaching staff on the team that won Super Bowl XLVII.

Zachary Orr is an American football coach and former linebacker who is the defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as an assistant coach for the Ravens from 2017 to 2020 and from 2022 to 2023 as the inside linebackers coach. Also, in 2021 he was the outside linebackers coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Michael Macdonald is an American professional football coach who is the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens from 2022 to 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Weiss (American football)</span> American football player and coach (born 1983)

Matthew Weiss is an American football coach who most recently was the quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator for the Michigan Wolverines. A native of Connecticut, he played college football for Vanderbilt and then served as a coach in multiple capacities for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL).

References

  1. Wexell, Jim (2006). Pittsburgh Steelers: Men of Steel. Sports Publishing LLC. pp. 153–. ISBN   9781582619965 . Retrieved March 5, 2016.
  2. "1989 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  3. "Steelers hire Olsavsky as coach".
  4. "Steelers inside linebackers coach Jerry Olsavsky addressed drafting Ulysees Gilbert III". CBSSports.com. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  5. Varley, Teresa (February 22, 2023). "Curry named inside linebackers coach". Steelers.com.
  6. "Jerry Olsavsky - Football Coach". Duquesne University Athletics. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  7. "Joe Olsavsky, son of a Steelers coach, finds his niche in baseball for Central Catholic". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved May 13, 2020.