Juan Castillo (American football)

Juan Castillo (born October 8, 1959) is the offensive line coach for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He was defensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles from February 2, 2011 to October 16, 2012 when he was fired.[1] He played college football at Texas A&I as a linebacker. He played for the San Antonio Gunslingers of the United States Football League from 1984–1985. He joined the Eagles in 1995 as an offensive assistant. He was promoted to tight ends coach in 1997, and switched to offensive line coach in 1998.

Juan Castillo
Chicago Bears
Position:Offensive line coach
Personal information
Born: (1959-10-08) October 8, 1959
Port Isabel, Texas
Career information
College:Texas A&I
Undrafted:1981
Career history
As player:
As coach:
Coaching stats at PFR

College career

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

Professional career

Castillo played for the San Antonio Gunslingers of the USFL from 1984–1985, mainly on special teams.[3] 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

H.M. King High School

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

Texas A&M University–Kingsville

Castillo was the defensive line coach for Texas A&M University–Kingsville from 1982–1985 and from 1990–1994 he was the offensive line coach. Four offensive linemen he coached ended up in the NFL: Jermane Mayberry,[3] Jorge Diaz, Kevin Dogins, and Earl Dotson.[4]

Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles hired Castillo as an offensive assistant in 1995 under Ray Rhodes.[2] 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.[2] 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 1998–2010.

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]

After a tumultuous tenure, Castillo was fired on October 16, 2012. He was replaced by Todd Bowles, the team's secondary coach and former interim head coach of the Miami Dolphins.

Baltimore Ravens

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.[8] 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.[9]

Buffalo Bills

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.[10] He served two seasons with the Bills before being dismissed following the 2018 season.[11]

Michigan

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.[12]

Chicago Bears

On January 5, 2020, the Chicago Bears hired Castillo as offensive line coach. The move reunited him with head coach Matt Nagy, whom he worked with in Philadelphia.[13]

Personal life

Castillo is married; he and his wife, Zaida, have four sons.[2]

On August 17, 1998, Castillo fractured his left tibial plateau after he was hit by a utility truck outside of Veterans Stadium. Even though he was on crutches, he still coached practice the following day.[14]

In 2002, Castillo and his wife were invited to a Cinco de Mayo celebration by President George W. Bush at the White House.[4]

Port Isabel, Texas declared July 4, 2009 to be "Juan Castillo Day" and presented Castillo with a key to the city.[15]

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