Los Angeles Chargers Coach Brandon Staley Has Upper Midwest Ties

It's more of a "six degrees of Kevin Bacon" situation, but the brand new head coach for the Los Angeles Chargers has some upper midwest connections.

Brandon Staley has been named as the new head coach of the LA Chargers. Staley spent the 2020 season as a member of the Los Angeles Rams as the team's defensive coordinator.

Prior to that though, Staley has traveled the country and quickly moved up the ladder. The 38-year old entered the coaching circles in 2006 as a graduate assistant at Northern Illinois University. From 2006-present and counting the Chargers, Staley has been with eleven different teams that have stretched from a community college in Kansas to the NFL.

Staley's first non-graduate assistant job brought Staley to the upper midwest and to a now Summit League/Pioneer League institution. Staley spent the 2009 football season at the Univesity of St. Thomas in Minnesota. During his time in St. Paul, Staley served as a defensive line and special teams coach. St. Thomas was a Division III institution at the time, and Staley helped the team to an 11-2 overall record and an NCAA quarterfinal appearance.

Following St. Thomas, Staley joined Hutchinson Community College as the Associate Head Coach from 2010-2011. Six years later, and stints with Tennessee, John Carrol University, and James Madison University, Staley received his first NFL job in 2017 as a linebackers coach for the Chicago Bears. He left the Bears to join Denver in 2019 and then became the defensive coordinator in Los Angeles.

So now when you watch a LA Chargers game, know that there is another connection besides offensive linemen Trey Pipkins (University of Sioux Falls) that you can make to the upper midwest...or at least one you can impress your friends with.

Source: Los Angeles Chargers