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Rychleski jumps on ‘fantastic’ opportunity

OF native is named Indianapolis Colts special teams coach

By Rick Notari rnotari@psdispatch.com
Pittston Sunday Dispatch Staff Writer

His coaching career began as a volunteer assistant freshman coach at Old Forge High School after quarterbacking his alma mater in the mid 70s. Little did he know how far up the coaching ladder would he climb some 35 years later.

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Old Forge native Ray "RJ" Rychleski was named the new special teams coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts on February 2. He is pictured above at the press conference announcing his hiring.

photo courtesy of indianapolisCOlts.com

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After spending the last 16 seasons coaching Division I football in the ACC and SEC, Old Forge native Ray “RJ” Rychleski was recently named Special Teams Coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts.

“It’s quite an interesting story,” said Rychleski, who coached special teams for Steve Spurrier and the University of South Carolina this past year. “I was at the national coaching convention and there were rumors going around the Coach (Tony) Dungy was going to retire (from the Colts). When I heard that I thought, ‘It sure would be neat if Coach (Jim) Caldwell called me.’

“Ten minutes later he called.”

The rest as they say is history.

Coach Caldwell was the Colts, “Coach In-Waiting,” once Dungy retired. But Coach Caldwell was also Rychleski’s boss at Wake Forest from 1993-2000 when the Old Forge High grad coached defensive line, linebackers, tight ends and special teams during his eight years there.

Rychleski and Caldwell also coached together on Joe Paterno’s staff at Penn State in 1991 when the former was a graduate assistant and the latter was the quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator.

“I met Jim while we were both coaching at Northeastern, and we became friends while working together at Penn State,” said Rychleski in a telephone interview from his office at Lucas Oil Field. “I was a GA working with Dick Anderson and the offensive line, and we game-planned together, and did everything a staff does.

“After practice in the spring and even in fall we’d walk around campus everyday. In those 45 minutes we’d do a lot of talking and we became very good friends. Jim has even had Salerno’s pizza. When I would come home on weekends I would always bring back a tray of red and a tray of white.”

And while Rychleski joked that Salerno’s pizza – and the restaurant’s admiration for the Colts – had something to do with him getting and taking the position on Caldwell’s staff, he admitted that his friendship had something to do with his opportunity to interview for the position, but little to do with him getting the job.

“It’s interesting. When I was younger I would have done anything for the opportunity to coach in the NFL,” said Rychleski who also coached at the University of Maryland for seven years under Ralph Friedgen between stints at Wake Forest and South Carolina. “But Jim couldn’t hire me unless I had a resume. Sure it helped that I previously worked with him, but it’s a bottom line business. You have to produce.

“It’s very rewarding to do a good job over the years and people recognize this. If Jim didn’t hire me I wouldn’t have took it any other way, than I just wasn’t the right guy for the job. It just wouldn’t have been the right way to be hired just because of our friendship.”

Rychleski was afforded the opportunity because his special teams were among the best in the nation while at Maryland.

Over the seven-year period he spent with the Terrapins, UM had zero punts blocked - the longest current streak in Division I-A football. His special team units blocked 22 kicks and had eight returns for touchdowns during his tenure. In addition, Maryland led the country in kickoff return yardage defense, allowing just 16.56 yards per kickoff return in 2007.

Rychleski coached an All-ACC punter for six straight years (2001-06), had one specialist selected in the NFL Draft and five others sign as free agents. Also during his time at Maryland, Rychleski had three tight ends selected in the NFL Draft, including Vernon Davis, the sixth pick overall in the 2006 draft, and four others who signed free agent contracts.

His production at Maryland caught the eye of Spurrier and the Gamecocks, and gave Rychleski the opportunity to coach in the SEC where he would have been quite happy finishing his career.

“I didn’t want to leave South Carolina. I loved it there,” said Rychleski. “Coach Spurrier and his family were fantastic to me. I told him I wasn’t going to leave for another college job, but this opportunity may never come along again so I had to do it. He wasn’t upset, but he didn’t want to lose me. He was hoping I was happy there, and I was. But he understood the opportunity.”

That opportunity is to not only coach in the NFL, but to coach for one of the more storied franchise of the league and a Colts team that is just two years removed from winning a Super Bowl.

“I am just ecstatic to go to Indianapolis. The organization is top shelf,” said Rychleski. “I am in a phenomenal situation. We have a Hall of Fame quarterback, and one of our goals besides winning the Super Bowl is winning our division. Doing that gives you a chance at winning the ultimate goal.

“This is a fantastic opportunity.”