Former Central Michigan head coach and NFL special teams coach John Bonamego announced his retirement on Friday. The 59-year-old coach brings an end to a 35-year career.
“It’s been an incredible journey,” Bonamego said during his retirement announcement. “But [my wife] Paulette and I, we’re super excited about the next chapter of our lives.”
Bonamego coached NFL special teams for 19 years, working two stints as the Jacksonville Jaguars’ special teams coordinator (2002 and 2012) in addition to the Green Bay Packers (2003-2005), New Orleans Saints (2006-2007), Miami Dolphins (2008-2010), Detroit Lions twice (2013-14 and 2019), and the Los Angeles Rams (2020).
From 2015 to 2018, Bonamego was the head coach of his alma mater, Central Michigan. His latest role was as a senior special teams analyst for Iowa State.
Known for being the orchestrator of one of the most iconic plays in New Orleans Saints’ history when the team returned to action after Hurricane Katrina, Bonamego either coached or worked with six current NFL special teams coordinators, including Atlanta’s Marquice Williams, Tennessee’s Craig Aukerman, and Cleveland’s Mike Priefer.
With his coaching career now at an end, Bonamego will now go on to work in business development for BSN, a sporting goods apparel and equipment distributor.
