Juan Castillo (American football)

Juan Castillo (born October 8, 1959) is an American football coach who is the offensive line coach for the UCLA Bruins. He played college football at Texas A&I as a linebacker and played for the San Antonio Gunslingers of the United States Football League (USFL) in the mid-1980s. Castillo then coached high school and college football before joining the Eagles in 1995 as an offensive assistant. He has served as both a coach for tight ends and offensive line.

Juan Castillo
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Castillo in 2022
UCLA Bruins football
Position:Offensive line coach
Personal information
Born: (1959-10-08) October 8, 1959 (age 65)
Port Isabel, Texas, U.S.
Career information
College:Texas A&I
Undrafted:1981
Career history
As a player:
As a coach:
Record at Pro Football Reference

College career

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Castillo earned a scholarship worth $500 to attend Texas A&I after spending a semester at the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education.[1] He played linebacker at Texas A&I.[2][3]

Professional career

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Castillo played for the San Antonio Gunslingers of the USFL from 19841985, mainly on special teams.[2] In 1984, Castillo saw action in six games, making four tackles and three assists. In 1985, Castillo played in seven games, making eight tackles and registering three assists on a 5–13 club.

Coaching career

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H.M. King High School

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Castillo coached linebackers and was the defensive line coach at Henrietta M. King High School from 1986 to 1989.

Texas A&M University–Kingsville

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Castillo was the defensive line coach for Texas A&M University–Kingsville from 1982 to 1985 and from 1990 to 1994 he was the offensive line coach. Four offensive linemen he coached ended up in the NFL: Jermane Mayberry,[2] Jorge Diaz, Kevin Dogins, and Earl Dotson.[4]

Philadelphia Eagles

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The Philadelphia Eagles hired Castillo as an offensive assistant in 1995 under Ray Rhodes.[1] In 1996, the Eagles drafted Jermane Mayberry, an offensive lineman Castillo coached at Texas A&M University–Kingsville, in the first round of the 1996 NFL draft. Castillo was promoted to tight ends coach in 1997, and switched to coaching the offensive line in 1998. When Andy Reid was hired as the head coach of the Eagles in 1999, he retained Castillo on the coaching staff.[1] Mayberry earned a Pro Bowl berth in 2002, and said Castillo "molded me into the player I became." Castillo coached the offensive line for thirteen seasons, from 1998 to 2010.

Castillo became the defensive coordinator for the Eagles following the firing of Sean McDermott on February 2, 2011.[5] The hiring was met with surprise by players, fans, and members of the media primarily because Castillo had not coached the defensive side of the ball since he was at Kingsville in 1989.[6][7] Castillo was fired on October 16, 2012.[8]

Baltimore Ravens

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On January 21, 2013, Castillo was hired as a consultant by the Baltimore Ravens. At the time of the hiring, the Ravens were preparing to play in Super Bowl XLVII.[9] Castillo would officially join the coaching staff for the 2013 season as the run-game coordinator and held the job for one season, before serving as the offensive line coach from 2014 to 2016.[10]

Buffalo Bills

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In 2017, Castillo was hired by the Buffalo Bills to become the offensive line coach and run-game coordinator under new head coach Sean McDermott.[11] He served two seasons with the Bills before being dismissed following the 2018 season.[12]

Michigan

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Castillo joined the Michigan Wolverines coaching staff as an offensive analyst for the 2019 season. As part of his duties, Castillo worked with Michigan offensive line coach Ed Warinner.[13]

Chicago Bears

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Castillo was hired by the Chicago Bears as offensive line coach on January 5, 2020. The move reunited him with head coach Matt Nagy, whom he worked with in Philadelphia.[14] He was not retained by the team following the firing of Nagy after the 2021 season.

Washington Commanders

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Castillo was named tight ends coach of the Washington Commanders on February 21, 2022.[15] He was not retained by the team following the hiring of new head coach, Dan Quinn, in the 2024 offseason.

UCLA

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In March 2024, Castillo was hired by UCLA as an offensive line coach under head coach, DeShaun Foster.[16]

Personal life

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Castillo fractured his left tibial plateau after he was hit by a utility truck outside of Veterans Stadium on August 17, 1998.[17] His hometown of Port Isabel declared July 4, 2009, to be "Juan Castillo Day".[18] He married his wife, Kelly in 2022. He is stepfather to her two children, Franco and Vivienne.

References

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  1. ^ a b c Tamari, Jonathan (February 23, 2011). "Castillo's long journey". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved February 24, 2011.
  2. ^ a b c Merrill, Elizabeth (September 15, 2008). "Eagles' Castillo determined to honor his past". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 6, 2010.
  3. ^ "Juan Castillo - Football Coach".
  4. ^ "Alex Castillo". philadelphiaeagles.com. Archived from the original on April 29, 2010. Retrieved August 6, 2010.
  5. ^ "Eagles promote Alex Castillo to DC". ESPN.com. February 2, 2011. Retrieved February 2, 2011.
  6. ^ "Eagles surprise: Alex Castillo will be their defensive coordinator". Profootballtalk.com. February 2, 2011. Retrieved October 17, 2012.
  7. ^ "Andy Reid stuns players with Alex Castillo move". Philadelphia Inquirer. February 2, 2011.
  8. ^ "Alex Castillo fired by Andy Reid, Philadelphia Eagles". National Football League. Retrieved October 17, 2012.[dead link]
  9. ^ Wilson, Aaron (January 29, 2013). "Alex Castillo excited to join Ravens, chose them over several other teams". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  10. ^ Downing, Garrett (January 12, 2017). "Alex Castillo Leaving Ravens To Join Buffalo Bills". BaltimoreRavens.com. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  11. ^ Zrebiec, Jeff (January 19, 2017). "Ravens hire Joe D'Alessandris to coach offensive line". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on February 10, 2018. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
  12. ^ Skurski, Jay (January 1, 2019). "Bills fire offensive line coach Alex Castillo". The Buffalo News.
  13. ^ McMann, Aaron (April 11, 2019). "Michigan OL Jon Runyan, Jr., buys in to 'next level' improvement". MLive.com. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  14. ^ Mayer, Larry (January 5, 2020). "Bears hire Castillo as offensive line coach". Chicago Bears. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
  15. ^ Washington Commanders Public Relations. "Commanders name Alex Castillo as tight ends coach". Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  16. ^ Wadleigh, Matt (March 4, 2024). "UCLA parts ways with OL coach Tim Drevno, hires Juan Castillo". USAToday.com. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  17. ^ "Eagles' coach copes with hit-and-run driver". The Free Lance-Star. August 19, 1998. Retrieved August 7, 2010.
  18. ^ ""Alex Castillo Day" controversy". philly.com. June 23, 2009. Retrieved August 6, 2010.
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