Eric Bieniemy facts for kids
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Bieniemy with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2021
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| Chicago Bears | |||||||||
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| Position: | Running backs coach | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | August 15, 1969 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
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| Height: | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 205 lb (93 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Bishop Amat (La Puente, California) | ||||||||
| College: | Colorado (1987–1990) | ||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1991 / Round: 2 / Pick: 38 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||
| Coaching stats at PFR | |||||||||
Eric M. Bieniemy Jr. (pronounced bee-EN-uh-me) is an American football coach and former player. He was born on August 15, 1969. He is currently the running backs coach for the Chicago Bears in the National Football League (NFL).
Bieniemy played college football for the Colorado Buffaloes. He holds their all-time records for rushing yards (3,940) and touchdowns (42). In 1990, he was named a unanimous All-American. He also finished third in the voting for the Heisman Trophy, an award for the best college football player. This was during Colorado's national championship season.
After college, Bieniemy was picked by the San Diego Chargers in the 1991 NFL draft. He also played for the Cincinnati Bengals and Philadelphia Eagles. He mostly played on special teams. Later, he went back to Colorado to finish his college degree.
After getting his degree, Bieniemy started his coaching career. He coached for the Colorado Buffaloes, UCLA Bruins, and the NFL's Minnesota Vikings. He helped develop famous players like Maurice Jones-Drew and Adrian Peterson.
Bieniemy was the offensive coordinator for Colorado for two seasons. Then, he joined the Kansas City Chiefs as a running backs coach in 2013. He helped players like Jamaal Charles and Kareem Hunt become very successful. Kareem Hunt even led the NFL in rushing yards as a rookie in 2017.
In 2018, he became the offensive coordinator for the Chiefs under head coach Andy Reid. He won two Super Bowls with the Chiefs: Super Bowl LIV and Super Bowl LVII. Bieniemy also worked as an assistant head coach and offensive coordinator for the Washington Commanders in 2023. In 2024, he was the offensive coordinator for the UCLA Bruins again. He joined the Chicago Bears as their running backs coach in 2025.
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His Early Life
Eric Bieniemy was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, on August 15, 1969. In 1979, his family moved to Hollywood, California. The next year, they settled in West Covina, California.
He went to Bishop Amat Memorial High School in La Puente, California. There, he earned a letter in both football and track and field. As a senior in 1986, he was named second-team All-America in football. That year, he ran for 2,002 yards and scored 30 touchdowns.
College Football Star
In 1987, Bieniemy enrolled at the University of Colorado Boulder. He chose Colorado because he wanted to experience something new, like a smaller city and snow. He became a starter right away for the Colorado Buffaloes as a freshman.
As a sophomore, he was named to the 1988 All-Big Eight Conference football team. He rushed for 1,243 yards and 10 touchdowns that season. In 1990, during his senior year, he was named the Big Eight Conference's Offensive Player of the Year. He rushed for 1,628 yards and 17 touchdowns. He also finished third in the voting for the Heisman Trophy. That year, his team won a national championship.
Bieniemy holds the all-time records for Colorado in rushing yards (3,940) and rushing touchdowns (42). He was honored by being inducted into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame in 2010.
Playing in the NFL
The San Diego Chargers selected Eric Bieniemy in the second round of the 1991 NFL draft. In 1994, he played in Super Bowl XXIX with the Chargers. He had a 33-yard reception in that game, which was the longest for his team.
After playing for the Chargers, Bieniemy joined the Cincinnati Bengals from 1995 to 1998. He then played one season with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1999 before he retired as a player. He finished his playing career with 1,589 rushing yards and 1,223 receiving yards. He also had 12 touchdowns.
Coaching Journey Begins
After his playing career, Bieniemy started coaching. In 2000, he was an assistant coach at Thomas Jefferson High School in Denver.
In 2001, he went back to Colorado to finish his degree in sociology. While there, he coached the running backs for the Buffaloes from 2001 to 2002. He then coached running backs for UCLA from 2003 to 2005. In 2005, he also became UCLA's recruiting coordinator.
Coaching the Minnesota Vikings
After his time at UCLA, Bieniemy became the running backs coach for the Minnesota Vikings in the NFL. During his time with the Vikings, Adrian Peterson was a star player. Peterson led the NFC in rushing yards in 2007 and 2008. In 2008, Peterson's 1,760 rushing yards were the most in the entire NFL. In 2010, Bieniemy was also given the title of assistant head coach for the Vikings.
Back to Colorado
On December 2, 2010, Bieniemy returned to the University of Colorado Boulder. He became the offensive coordinator under head coach Jon Embree. He stayed in this role for two seasons.
Success with the Kansas City Chiefs
In 2013, Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid hired Bieniemy as the running backs coach. In 2018, Reid promoted him to offensive coordinator. This happened after the previous coordinator, Matt Nagy, became the head coach of the Chicago Bears.
In Bieniemy's first year as offensive coordinator, the Chiefs had the best offense in the NFL. They led the league in yards per game and points scored. Their quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, had an amazing season. He became only the second quarterback in NFL history to throw for 5,000 yards and 50 touchdowns in one season. The Chiefs made it to the 2018 AFC Championship Game, but they lost to the New England Patriots.
In 2019, Bieniemy won his first Super Bowl when the Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers 31–20 in Super Bowl LIV. He won his second Super Bowl with the Chiefs in 2022. They beat the Philadelphia Eagles 38–35 in Super Bowl LVII.
Coaching the Washington Commanders
On February 17, 2023, Bieniemy signed a two-year contract with the Washington Commanders. He became their assistant head coach and offensive coordinator. With the Commanders, he was in charge of calling the plays during games. This was different from his time with the Chiefs, where he shared play-calling duties with Andy Reid.
In his first season with Washington, the Commanders finished with a 4–13 record. Their offense ranked 21st in average yards per game. After the season, the new head coach, Dan Quinn, decided not to keep Bieniemy on the coaching staff.
Second Time at UCLA
In February 2024, Bieniemy returned to UCLA. He was named the associate head coach and offensive coordinator. However, he was dismissed from this role on December 5, 2024. UCLA finished their season with a 5–7 record. Their offense ranked 117th in yards per game and 126th in points scored per game.
Joining the Chicago Bears
The new Chicago Bears head coach, Ben Johnson, hired Bieniemy. He became the running backs coach for the Bears before the 2025 season.
Eric Bieniemy's Family Life
Eric Bieniemy is married and has two sons. His nephew, Jamal, played basketball for the University of Oklahoma and the University of Texas El Paso. Eric Bieniemy is also a member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity.
