Eric Bieniemy, currently the Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator, could be a potential candidate to return to his alma mater as head coach.
The University of Colorado is in search of a new head coach for their football program, and it’s possible they find a candidate on the staff of the Kansas City Chiefs. Pete Thamel of Yahoo! Sports has listed Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy as a potential replacement for the newly fired Mike MacIntyre.
Kurt Roper has been installed as the interim head coach of the Buffaloes after MacIntyre was sacked on Sunday given that Colorado is in the midst of a six-game losing streak. The Buffaloes won their first five games of the season and were even ranked in the top 20 but they’ve fallen hard ever since with a losing streak that has them under .500 on the year and on the outside looking in for any potential bowl game appearances.
As Colorado’s athletic department now attempts to find a replacement, Roper will undoubtedly be on the list as a potential candidate, but the list will include several more promising ideas—including Bieniemy himself. Bieniemy is the school’s all-time leading rusher and led the entire nation in running in 1990 with over 1,600 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Coaching at Colorado would also feel familiar to Bieniemy given that he’s put in two separate stints. First he served as the team’s running backs coach back in 2001-02 and he returned a decade later to take over as offensive coordinator, the same role he has now under Chiefs head coach Andy Reid. Thamel writes:
"He’d be a sentimental favorite as a graduate and famous alum. He’s also part of the most rollicking offensive show in the NFL, which is intriguing. What could hurt him here is that his stint as offensive coordinator under ex-Buffaloes coach Jon Embree was undistinguished as they ranked 92nd and 119th."
Bieniemy will benefit greatly in this job search or any future job search due to his connection with Reid at this point. The Chiefs offense is operating at an elite level these days, setting passing records left and right and the ground game is just as strong as Kareem Hunt and Spencer Ware form a deadly pair for opposing defenses. Reid’s coaching tree reaches far and wide at the highest level, so Bieniemy’s five years of tutelage learning under Reid will give him a nice boost in any head coaching consideration.
Bieniemy has only been the Chiefs offensive coordinator for a single season, so it will likely take some time before a head coaching opportunity at the pro level comes his way. However, if he’s up for it, Colorado football head coach could be waiting for him in a matter of days or weeks.