Happy New Year 2025

Tag: UCLA

  • Former Chiefs assistant coach Eric Bieniemy returns to NFL after one season at UCLA: report

    Former Chiefs assistant coach Eric Bieniemy returns to NFL after one season at UCLA: report

    Eric Bieniemy appears to be returning to the NFL ranks. On Saturday, CBS Sports reported that Bieniemy agreed to become the Chicago Bears running backs coach.

    Bieniemy is the latest assistant to land with the Bears, as recently hired head coach Ben Johnson continues to fill out his coaching staff. Bieniemy spent last year handling the offensive coordinator duties at UCLA, during the football program’s first season in the Big Ten Conference.

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    Eric Bieniemy Offensive Coordinator of the Kansas City Chiefs  speaks to the media during the Kansas City Chiefs media availability prior to Super Bowl LIV at the JW Marriott Turnberry on January 29, 2020 in Aventura, Florida.  ( Mark Brown/Getty Images)

    Bieniemy was a standout running back in college before he became a second round NFL Draft selection in 1991. He also has experience coaching ball carriers, serving as the running backs coach at Colorado — his alma mater — from 2001-02.

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    He took the same job at UCLA from 2003-04, before making the leap to the professional ranks when he was named the Minnesota Vikings running backs coach in 2006. Bieniemy returned to Colorado in 2011 when he was named the Buffaloes offensive coordinator. However, Bieniemy largely rose to prominence when he moved into his role as the Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator.

    Eric Bieniemy looks on

    UCLA offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy looks on against the Iowa Hawkeyes in the second half of a NCAA Football game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Friday, November 8, 2024. (Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)

    Bieniemy was a member of two Super Bowl winning coaching staffs in Kansas City, but he opted for a change of scenery after the 2022 season. 

    Bieniemy was named the Washington Commanders assistant head coach and offensive coordinator in 2023 and was given the opportunity to call plays. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid served as the primary offensive playcaller during Bieniemy’s tenure in Kansas City.

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    Bieniemy is now expected to bring his championship experience to Chicago’s coaching staff. Meanwhile, Johnson selected former Denver Broncos tight end coach Declan Doyle as the Bears offensive coordinator, while Antwaan Randle El will serve as the team’s assistant head coach. Randle El worked with Johnson in Detroit, handling the Lions wide receivers coaching duties.

     Bieniemy’s former team, the Chiefs, will meet the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9.

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    Chantz Martin is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.

  • UCLA star Maya Brady agrees to join upstart Athletes Unlimited Softball League: report

    UCLA star Maya Brady agrees to join upstart Athletes Unlimited Softball League: report

    UCLA softball shortstop Maya Brady has committed to playing in the new Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL), ESPN reported.

    Adding a player of Brady’s caliber and star power is expected to provide a boost to the upstart league that will conduct its inaugural draft this week. 

    The 23-year-old is the niece of seven-time Super Bowl winner and current FOX Sports lead NFL analyst Tom Brady. 

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    Maya Brady of the UCLA Bruins during a game against the Stanford Cardinal at Easton Stadium April 2, 2023, in Los Angeles. (Katharine Lotze/Getty Images)

    The left-handed UCLA Bruin also plays in the outfield and has received first-team All-American honors twice. Brady was also previously named the Pac-12 Player of the Year and was the Softball America Freshman of the Year in 2020.

    UCLA has long boasted one of the top softball programs in the nation, and Brady ranks second on the school’s all-time home run list. 

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    Former Miami Marlins general manager Kim Ng is spearheading AUSL and was named a senior advisor last year. Ng has said the league will be “Major League Baseball for softball.” 

    The league will feature four teams playing 30 games in six to eight cities in its first season.

    The Bandits, Blaze, Volts and Talons will be the league’s original four teams.

    Maya Brady in the batter's box

    Maya Brady of the UCLA Bruins against the Stanford Cardinal in the third inning at Boyd at Jill Smith Family Stadium April 20, 2024, in Stanford, Calif.  (Eakin Howard/Getty Images)

    “Softball is poised for tremendous growth at the professional level, and the AUSL is meeting the moment by creating the action-packed, world-class softball league that this sport has deserved for so long,” Ng said. 

    “The caliber of players vying to be drafted tomorrow — Olympians, Team USA veterans, All-Americans and NCAA champions — further exemplifies that the world’s best players are here together as a unit of founding members who will make the AUSL the next big thing in women’s sports.”

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    Maya Brady reacts after hitting homer

    UCLA’s Maya Brady celebrates after a home run during the third inning of an NCAA softball Women’s College World Series game against Oklahoma June 6, 2022, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)

    Brady hit 71 home runs with 246 RBIs in 249 games at UCLA.

    Last summer, two different four-team softball leagues held games, Women’s Professional Fastpitch and Association of Fastpitch Professionals.

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    Chantz Martin is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.