Nick Aliotti

Nick Aliotti

Biographical details
Born	(1954-05-29) May 29, 1954 (age 70) Pittsburg, California, U.S.
Playing career
1972–1976	UC Davis
Position(s)	Running back
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1978–1979	Oregon (GA)
1980–1983	Oregon State (RB)
1984–1987	Chico State (OC/OL)
1988–1992	Oregon (OLB)
1993–1994	Oregon (DC/DB)
1995–1997	St. Louis Rams (ST)
1998	UCLA (DC/DB)
1999–2013	Oregon (DC)
2019	Arizona Hotshots (DC)

Nick Aliotti (born May 29, 1954)^{[citation needed]} is an American football coach. He was recently the defensive coordinator of the Arizona Hotshots of the Alliance of American Football.

Early life and playing career

The eldest of five children, Aliotti grew up northeast of San Francisco in Pittsburg, California, where his father Joe (1928–2016) worked for U.S. Steel for decades.^[1] He graduated from Pittsburg High School in 1972 and enrolled at UC Davis, where he earned three letters as running back, and was named MVP of the freshman team.^[2]

Coaching career

After graduation from Davis, Aliotti spent two years as a graduate assistant football coach on Rich Brooks' staff at Oregon, and in 1980, was hired as the running backs coach by new Oregon State coach Joe Avezzano.^[3][4] After four years with the Beavers, Aliotti was hired as offensive coordinator at Chico State. In 1988, he returned to Oregon as linebackers coach, later becoming defensive coordinator.^[5]

After the 1994 season and the Rose Bowl, Brooks was hired by the St. Louis Rams of the NFL, and Aliotti went with him as special teams coach. Brooks lasted just two seasons with the Rams, and Aliotti became the defensive coordinator at UCLA in 1998. He returned to Eugene in 1999 and was the defensive coordinator for the next fifteen seasons under head coaches Mike Bellotti, Chip Kelly, and Mark Helfrich.^[2]

Allioti retired following the 2013 season, after the Alamo Bowl.^[6]

In 2018, he returned to coaching as the defensive coordinator of the Arizona Hotshots of the Alliance of American Football.^[7]

Personal

Aliotti's brother Joe was the starting quarterback at Boise State (1979, 1980); a junior college transfer (Los Medanos), he led the Broncos to a 10–1 record as a junior and the Division I-AA national championship as a senior.

References

1. "Joseph N. Aliotti". Legacy.com. (obituary). May 4, 2016. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
2. "Nick Aliotti". GoDucks.com. Archived from the original on October 17, 2012. Retrieved August 17, 2011.
3. Withers, Bud (September 1, 1982). "Another Italian". The Register-Guard. Retrieved August 17, 2011.
4. "Nick Aliotti - Oregon Football". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 17, 2011.
5. "Brooks fills staff with former coach". The Register-Guard. March 30, 1988. Retrieved August 17, 2011.
6. "Nick Aliotti to retire as Oregon defensive coordinator - GoDucks.com - The University of Oregon Official Athletics Web Site". GoDucks.com. Archived from the original on December 27, 2013. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
7. Thorburn, Ryan (October 11, 2018). "Former Oregon Ducks defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti returning to coaching in the AAF". The Register-Guard. Retrieved October 12, 2018.