Long time NFL special teams coach John Bonamego has retired after more than three decades of coaching, he told ESPN’s Michael Rothstein on Friday.
Bonamego, 59, began his career in the high school and college ranks before the Jacksonville Jaguars hired him as an assistant special teams coach in 1999. After three years in that role, Bonamego was promoted to special teams coordinator in 2002. The Jaguars blocked four kicks that season and punter Chris Hanson made the Pro Bowl, but Bonamego left after Tom Coughlin was fired as the team’s head coach.
A decade later, Bonamego rejoined the Jaguars as special teams coordinator under Mike Mularkey in 2012.
Bonamego also had stints as special teams coordinator of the Green Bay Packers, New Orleans Saints, Miami Dolphins, Detroit Lions, and Los Angeles Rams. He also spent four seasons as the head coach of the Central Michigan Chippewas from 2015 to 2018.
Most recently, Bonamego spent the 2022 season as a senior special teams assistant with the Iowa State Cyclones.
