Avila University hires former Chiefs WR Derrick Alexander as head football coach

charles goldman

Fri, Jan 13, 2023, 10:45 AM·2 min read

A former member of the Kansas City Chiefs is getting his shot at a head-coaching opportunity at the college level.

On Thursday, Avila University announced that they had hired former Chiefs WR Derrick Alexander to serve as their next head football coach. A first-round draft pick out of Michigan by the Cleveland Browns in 1994, Alexander played for four seasons in Kansas City from 1998 through 2001. Alexander had the best season of his NFL career in 2000, catching 78 passes for over 1,300 yards and ten touchdowns with Elvis Grbac under center and Gunther Cunningham calling the shots.

After his NFL career, Alexander stayed in the Kansas City area. He was selected for the NFL’s Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship for three consecutive years and spent time with the Chiefs at training camp in 2017. After spending 2015 coaching wide receivers at Wilmington College, Alexander returned to Kansas City and joined the coaching staff at Avila University. He spent three seasons there, serving as wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator, among other roles. He’s since spent time at Morgan State and Wayne State, but he now returns to Avila as head coach.

We’ve got our guy.
Introducing the next head football coach at Avila University, one of #OurAvila former assistants and a former standout with the @Chiefs – Derrick Alexander!
Welcome (back!) to the #EagleEmpire, @CoachDA82! pic.twitter.com/sPux9qZOy5
— Avila Athletics (@Avila_Athletics) January 12, 2023

“I am ecstatic about the opportunity to be a head coach,” Alexander said, via press release. “I have so many things that I want to do but I know it’s going to take time. I am ready to get to work!”

Avila has won two KCAC championships in the past three seasons. In 2022, Avila won a record-setting 10 games and qualified for the NAIA Football Championship Series for the first time in team history.