Assistant coach answers the call
Noted coordinator Kwiatkowski takes over Horns’ defense
AUSTIN — Like so many football-obsessed kids growing up in the 1970s, Pete Kwiatkowski used to idolize Earl Campbell. He still remembers that time “The Tyler Rose” jarred the spirit out of poor L.A. Rams linebacker Isiah Robertson on one fabled run, leaving defenders splayed across the field and Campbell’s jersey a tattered assortment of powder-blue ribbons.
“I remember Texas back in the day,” Kwiatkowski said Thursday. “I grew up a Notre Dame fan …(but) I became a huge Earl Campbell fan when I was young. When he played with the Houston Oilers, saw him take Isiah Robertson’s soul on Monday Night Football, and so I’ve always had a curiosity. So when Sark called, it was time to make that move.”
Thanks to that call from Texas first-year head coach Steve Sarkisian, Kwiatkowski now gets to call Campbell-Williams Field at RoyalMemorial Stadium his home turf. He and Campbell even shared that space together Wednesday night during an open practice at DKR, the Longhorns’ new defensive coordinator and arguably the program’s greatest player out together on a sticky summer night in Austin.
Kwiatkowski, 54, never expected to end up here. He also vastly underestimated how the sultry climate would hit.
But when Sarkisian rang back in January, the longtime Washington defensive coordinator couldn’t resist taking on a new challenge and relocating over 2,100 miles southeast of Seattle.
And after three seasons as Boise State’s DC and seven years as Washington’s, Kwiatkowski is slowly learning to embrace life as a southerner.
“I never thought I would sweat as much as I do. I have not been a big sweater, but I am now,” Kwiatkowski said. “But it was just the timing was right for me and my family. I was with coach (Chris) Peterson for 14 years, and they were awesome. I put a lot of value in who I work for and work with. I could’ve chased jobs over the years. It’s hard to win football games, and you want to be with good people all on a common cause. And win, lose or draw, it’s about the process, and then you’re back at it, right? So I place a lot of value in that.”
Kwiatkowski is the Longhorns’ fourth defensive coordinator since 2016, following Vance Bedford (2014-16), Todd Orlando (201719) and Chris Ash (2020). And Sarkisian jumped on the chance to lure the former Boise State defensive lineman away from the Pacific Northwest, especially after a compelling conversation with Kwiatkowski’s longtime boss.
Peterson served as Boise State’s head coach from 2006 to 2013. Then he moved on to Washington, remaining in charge from 2014 until his resignation in 2019. Kwiatkowski was with him through every step of that journey, starting as the Broncos’ defensive line coach before Peterson tapped him to oversee the defense in 2010.
Together, they won 147 games and lost just 38. They claimed Fiesta Bowl trophies at Boise State in 2006 and 2009, the culmination of two undefeated seasons. At Washington, they played in three straight New Year’s Six bowls from 2016 to 2018, though the Huskies lost all three, an agonizing stretch sandwiched between two of the tandem’s seven bowl victories.
“I’ve got a great deal of respect for coach Peterson, so his endorsement for coach PK was huge for me,” Sarkisian said. “This guy is a tremendous defensive coach. His defenses played fast, they played physical, they’re attacking. They’re definitely cutting edge.
“This guy has really been a thorn in my side over the past decade every time we’ve butted heads with him, whether it was at Boise State or at the University of Washington,” added Sarkisian, who faced off against Kwiatkowski with Washington and USC. “I think he’s a really good leader of men. I think he does a tremendous job of working from a collaborative effort with the staff and then developing a game plan that puts our players in the best position to be successful.”
Under Kwiatkowski’s direction, Washington led the Pac-12 in scoring defense and total defense every season from 2015 to 2018. During the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Washington (3-1) again led the Pac-12 in total defense and ranked second in scoring defense.
The Huskies also finished among the nation’s top 15 in scoring defense and total defense from 2016-18. The Longhorns managed that feat only four times this century (2000, 2001, 2005, 2009). And that’s exactly why Texas is paying Kwiatkowski a base salary of $1.7 million over the next three years, a $700,000-a-year bump over his previous pay.
“Our goal is to hold the offense under 20 points,” Kwiatkowski said. “It might be a high goal, but that’s our goal. I’m looking forward to the challenge of defending these Big 12 offenses.”