Interim Raiders coach Rich Bisaccia believes he is ready

Rich Bisaccia nearly made it through his entire first news conference since being named interim head coach of the Raiders without shedding a tear.

A mention of his family finally broke him.

“Your parents come to mind,” he said of what he thought about when he was informed he was being named to the position late Monday night. “I have five sisters, four kids, five grandkids. To have the opportunity to be the coach of the Las Vegas Raiders? Wow.”

Then came the tears, which Bisaccia quickly covered up with a bit of self-deprecation.

“Really? That’s the only thing I’m going to get choked up about?” he said. “Wow, Holy (expletive).”

The vulnerability, sense of humor and emotion are all part of what has endeared him to players and colleagues in his nearly 40 years in the profession.

“I’ve had a special relationship with Rich since I got here,” defensive end Maxx Crosby said Wednesday. “The dude has been nothing but a positive influence on my life.”

The 61-year-old Yonkers, N.Y., native played high school football in Connecticut before he moved on to play defensive back at Yankton College in South Dakota. Bisaccia (Bih-SAH-chi-uh) started his coaching career at Wayne State College in Nebraska, where he earned his degree.

“I did not think at that time I would be here one day,” Bisaccia said of his time at Wayne State from 1983 to 1987. “I mean, in the summers I was still working at Waldbaum Egg Factory, so I wasn’t thinking about being a head coach. I was thinking about feeding my kid. Obviously, the longer we stay in this, regardless of the level, we’d all like to have this opportunity to be in front of the men and to lead and that’s kind of why we all do it.

“So, here it is, however it came to fruition, and I’m going to do the best I can with the men that we’re working with to put a really good product on the field and to give our players a chance to be successful.”

Bisaccia coached quarterbacks, tight ends, wide receivers, defensive ends and just about every other position group during stops at Clemson, South Carolina and Mississippi. Bisaccia found his niche as a special teams coach in the NFL when Jon Gruden brought him in to run that unit with the Buccaneers in 2002.

Bisaccia added the title of assistant head coach in 2008 and held the same positions with the Chargers and Cowboys before Gruden brought him back to the Raiders as special teams coordinator and assistant head coach in 2018.

He has been up for several head coaching jobs over the years and there is a bit of irony in the way he has finally ascended to the role.

“It’s no secret (Jon and I have) been together a long time and we’ve been friends,” Bisaccia said. “I certainly have an affinity for Coach Gruden. He’s changed my life when he hired me back in 2002. The last night wasn’t good for him. It wasn’t good for us, and since then I’m sure he’s got to go through and face and deal with the consequences of whatever he has to do. I’m still a friend of coach Gruden’s, but we haven’t had any dialogue since that particular night.”

General manager Mike Mayock said he has long been a believer in Bisaccia’s ability to run a team and has even vouched for him in some coaching searches.

“He’s got as much respect in the locker room, in our locker room, as any coach I’ve ever seen in my life,” Mayock said. “And the reason he does; is he a great coach? Hell yeah. But he’s an even better man. What I’ve always told people when I endorse him is that he’s the most natural leader of men that I have ever been around.”

Yet it’s only now, with the man who brought him to the NFL resigning in controversy, that Bisaccia finally has that elusive head coaching job.

“No one wants to be head coach in this particular situation,” Bisaccia said. “But it’s an incredible opportunity certainly, not only for me, but all the other coaches that are here to see what we can do with this adversity, this challenge. So am I excited? Certainly.”

Bisaccia harkened back to early in his coaching days for a story about asking one of his bosses how he would know he was ready to be a head coach.

“He told me, ‘When they give you the hat and whistle and tell you you’re the head coach,’” Bisaccia said.

He never expected that to happen this week. But he’s ready.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.