Current position | |
---|---|
Title | Head coach |
Team | Nicholls |
Conference | SLC |
Record | 0–0 |
Biographical details | |
Born | July 30, 1986 |
Playing career | |
2004–2005 | Jacksonville State |
Position(s) | Linebacker |
Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
2005–2008 | Jacksonville State (SA) |
2009–2010 | Jacksonville State (DA/CB) |
2011–2012 | Louisiana (OLB) |
2013 | Louisiana (S) |
2014 | Central Arkansas (CB) |
2015–2024 | Nicholls (DC/LB) |
2025–present | Nicholls |
Tommy Rybacki (born July 30, 1986) is an American football coach and former player who is the current head coach of the Nicholls Colonels. He played college football for the Jacksonville State Gamecocks and has previously coached for the Gamecocks, the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns and Central Arkansas Bears.
Rybacki was born on July 30, 1986, and grew up in Huntsville, Alabama. [1] He attended Jacksonville State University, where he played football as a linebacker from 2004 to 2005. [1] He graduated from Jacksonville State with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and a master's degree in public administration. [2] He married Meredith Domengeaux in 2016 and has a daughter with her. [1] [2]
Rybacki began his coaching career while attending Jacksonville State in 2005, becoming a student assistant for the football team. [3] He served in that role from 2005 to 2008 before becoming a defensive assistant and cornerbacks coach in 2009, being in that position for two seasons before then joining the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns in 2011 as outside linebackers coach. [1] He became the secondary coach for Louisiana in 2013, and helped the team win the Sun Belt Conference championship that year. [1] Rybacki joined the Central Arkansas Bears in 2014 as cornerbacks coach. [4]
Rybacki became the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for the Nicholls Colonels in 2015 under head coach Tim Rebowe. [3] He served 10 seasons in that position under Rebowe. [3] In the 2024 season, he helped the Nicholls defense set the school record for rushing yards allowed, 83.9, which placed fourth nationally, and also coached the defense to force 29 turnovers which was the third-best mark in the FCS. [5] Rebowe retired as head coach following the 2024 season and Rybacki was named his successor. [6]
Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nicholls Colonels (Southland Conference)(2025–present) | |||||||||
2025 | Nicholls | 0–0 | |||||||
Nicholls: | 0–0 | ||||||||
Total: | 0–0 |
Chris Harris is an American football coach and former safety who is the passing game coordinator and cornerbacks coach for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Chicago Bears in the sixth round of the 2005 NFL draft after playing college football for the University of Louisiana at Monroe.
James Edward Willis III is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) and a former coach in the NCAA and in the NFL. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the fifth round of the 1993 NFL draft. He played college football at Auburn. He played high school football at J.O. Johnson High School in Huntsville, Alabama. He was the defensive assistant/linebackers coach for the New Orleans Saints of the NFL until his termination on January 5, 2017.
The Nicholls Colonels football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Nicholls State University located in Thibodaux, Louisiana, United States. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and are members of the Southland Conference. Nicholls' first football team was fielded in 1972. The team plays its home games at the 10,500 seat Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium in Thibodaux, Louisiana. The Colonels are coached by Tommy Rybacki.
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Rusty Rebowe is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the New Orleans Saints and in the Canadian Football League (CFL) with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He played college football for the Nicholls State Colonels.
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