Rich Bisaccia Leaves Green Bay Packers, Returns Home to Clemson as Special Teams Coordinator

Rich Bisaccia spent 24 years building one of the most respected careers in NFL special teams history. He won a Super Bowl, steadied a franchise in crisis and earned the trust of coaches across the league. Then, at 65, he walked away from the NFL on his own terms.

On March 4, Clemson officially announced that Bisaccia had been hired as the program’s new Special Teams Coordinator. The hire was finalized by the Clemson University Board of Trustees Compensation Committee. For Bisaccia, it was not just a new job. It was a homecoming.

Bisaccia Surprises Packers With Sudden Departure

The move caught Green Bay off guard. Bisaccia had spent the past four seasons with the Packers, joining the staff as special teams coordinator in 2022 when head coach Matt LaFleur brought him aboard. By 2024, he had added assistant head coach duties to his title.

His resignation on Feb. 17 was described as a stunner inside the organization. The Packers were not expecting him to step down following the 2025 season. Green Bay has since moved on, hiring former New England Patriots special teams coordinator Cam Achord to fill the vacancy.

Bisaccia gave no indication he was heading for retirement. He was heading somewhere else entirely.

A Reunion More Than 25 Years in the Making

Before his NFL career began, Bisaccia spent five seasons at Clemson coaching the Tigers’ running backs and special teams from 1994 to 1998. It was a foundational chapter in his coaching life. The program, the community, and the people there clearly left a lasting impression.

“After I made the decision to move in a new direction, Coach Swinney approached me with the opportunity to come back to a place that holds special meaning for me and my family,” Bisaccia said in his statement. “I’m thrilled to be able to return to the Clemson community and serve this program in any way I can.”

Head coach Dabo Swinney made no secret of how long he had been trying to make this happen. The two had spoken multiple times over the years about a potential reunion, but the timing and NCAA rules never aligned. Recent changes allowing all coaches to work on the field opened the door.

“It just never really could work out from a timing standpoint or because the way the rules were set up in college,” Swinney said. “But with the changing of the rules to allow everybody to coach on the field and where he was in his career, he really wanted to finish here at Clemson. I’m super excited it worked out for us too, because this is as good a special teams coach as there has been in the NFL for a long, long time.”

A Resume That Speaks for Itself

The numbers behind Bisaccia’s career are hard to argue with. Over his 24-year run as an NFL special teams coordinator, his units posted 11 top-10 rankings in kickoff return average. He was part of the 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Super Bowl championship staff. He led the Dallas Cowboys’ special teams from 2013 to 2017, a unit that ranked fifth in the league in kickoff return average over that span.

But perhaps nothing defined his character more than what happened in Las Vegas in 2021. When Jon Gruden resigned from the Raiders amid controversy, Bisaccia took over as interim head coach with the team in turmoil. He steadied the locker room, went 7-5 down the stretch, and guided the franchise to its first playoff appearance since 2016. He became the first interim coach to reach the postseason since Bruce Arians did it with the Colts in 2012. He did all of it without ever appearing rattled.

That steady leadership is exactly what Swinney says he is buying into.

“His experience and expertise in all things football, not just special teams, is a huge value to us,” Swinney said. “He’s a leader of men, and I think his perspective and his lens joining our organization will be incredibly valuable even beyond the impact that he’ll make on our special teams.”

What This Means for Clemson

Clemson has been working to rebuild its standing among college football’s elite programs. Bringing in a 43-year coaching veteran who has operated at the highest level of the sport sends a message. Bisaccia also has a home in South Carolina, which makes the fit feel natural beyond football.

For Bisaccia, this is where he wants to finish. And for Clemson, that kind of commitment matters.