 Izzo with theNew England Patriots in 2007 | |
| Washington Commanders | |
|---|---|
| Title | Special teams coordinator |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1974-09-26)September 26, 1974 (age 51) Fort Belvoir, Virginia, U.S. |
| Listed height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Listed weight | 228 lb (103 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | McCullough(The Woodlands, Texas) |
| College | Rice (1992–1995) |
| NFL draft | 1996: undrafted |
| Positions | Linebacker,special teamer, No. 53 |
| Career history | |
Playing | |
Coaching | |
| |
| Awards and highlights | |
| |
Stats atPro Football Reference  | |
Lawrence Alexander Izzo (/ˈɪzoʊ/; born September 26, 1974) is an American professionalfootball coach and formerlinebacker who is thespecial teams coordinator for theWashington Commanders of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theRice Owls and was signed as anundrafted free agent by theMiami Dolphins in 1996. A three-timePro Bowl selection andAll-Pro selection for theNew England Patriots as aspecial teamer, he won threeSuper Bowls with the Patriots and one as a coach with theNew York Giants.
Izzo attendedBroad Run High School inAshburn, Virginia. As a sophomore, he started as a linebacker and running back, becoming the first sophomore in school history to lead the team in rushing yards and TDs. When his family relocated to Texas, he attended McCullough High School inThe Woodlands, Texas, and won two varsity letters in football where he was coached by Weldon Willig as arunning back/safety, as well asbaseball. During his senior year, Izzo led McCullough with 1,081 yards rushing, while totaling 131 tackles for the Texas 5A semi-finalists. He was selected as theHouston Chronicle's Two-Way Player of the Year, and was a finalist for the Houston Touchdown Club's Player of the Year.
Izzo attendedRice University, where he wore the number 26, and was a four-yearletterman and standout and finished fourth on the school's all-time tackles list with 301 tackles, setting a school-record 46 tackles for losses, and a season record of 18 tackles for losses in 1995.[1]
In 1994 an underdog Rice beat top 10 rankedTexas on national television by the score of 19–17, as Izzo was selected player of the game with two key sacks (sharing the honor with teammateN. D. Kalu). It was the first time in over 30 years that Rice had beaten its in-state rival, and would help Rice win a share of theSouthwest Conference title for the first time in 37 years.
As a senior, Izzo was voted defensive team captain and earned consensus All-Southwest Conference honors after registering 121 tackles, he won the George Martin Award as the team's MVP and won the Jess Neely Defense Award as the team's top linebacker. Izzo was also selected as an Honorable MentionAll-American.
Izzo went undrafted in the1996 NFL draft and was later signed by theMiami Dolphins as afree agent in April 1996. He first came to local notoriety based on a sound byte that circulated during the pre-season of Izzo's rookie year, where Miami coachJimmy Johnson told the team that only two players were guaranteed to make the team: one wasDan Marino and the other the then-unknown Izzo.[2] He spent most of his time onspecial teams, and was rewarded with his first trip to thePro Bowl in 2000.
Izzo signed with Miami's divisional rivalNew England Patriots in 2001, and played on three of the six Patriots'Super Bowl championship teams (2001, 2003 and 2004), defeating theSt. Louis Rams,Carolina Panthers, andPhiladelphia Eagles, respectively. Izzo was also part of the2007 Patriots, who were the only undefeated team in the regular season since the NFL expanded to a 16-game schedule; they lostSuper Bowl XLII, 17–14, to theNew York Giants. He also had two more trips to Hawaii as theAFC special team representative in2002, and2004. Izzo gained notoriety in 2002 in the Patriots Super Bowl parade by leading the crowd in a "Yankees suck!" chant, in reference to theYankees–Red Sox rivalry.[3][4][5]
Izzo joined his thirdAFC East team, theNew York Jets on March 11, 2009. On December 10, 2009, the Jets placed Izzo on IR after tests revealed a spine injury.[6]
On June 24, 2011, Izzo joined theNew York Giants as assistant special teams coach.[7] Izzo was credited with helping turn around the Giants special teams during their Super Bowl run in 2011–12. In the pivotal 2011-12 NFC Championship game, the Giant's special teams changed the momentum of the game when rookie linebacker Jacquian Williams caused a fumble on a punt return to set up Lawrence Tynes' game-winning field goal in overtime against the 49ers. The Giants went on to win the Super Bowl, and Izzo received his fourth Super Bowl ring.[8]
On January 15, 2016, theHouston Texans hired Izzo as special teams coordinator.[9] During Izzo's tenure with Houston the Special Teams unit improved its DVOA ranking from dead last (ranked 32 in 2015) to 26 in 2017, including finishing in the top 10 in two critical statistical areas related to coverage teams (Opponent Kickoff Return Average and Net Punt Average, which was 41.3 yds).
On January 2, 2018, Texans reached a mutual parting of the ways with Izzo.[10]
On February 1, 2018, theSeattle Seahawks hired Izzo as assistant special teams coach.[11]
On September 11, 2020, Izzo became the interim special teams coordinator for the Seahawks after their coordinatorBrian Schneider left the team indefinitely for personal reasons; Izzo subsequently led the Seahawks into the top 3 for Special Teams DVOA rankings.[12] He was promoted to full-time special teams coordinator on March 3, 2021.[13]
In February 2024, Izzo was hired by theWashington Commanders as their special teams coordinator under new head coachDan Quinn.[14]
Izzo and his wife Mara married on February 21, 2004.[15] Izzo has two children, Boston and Hawk. In 2008, he hosted an interview segment on theNESN dating showSox Appeal.[16]
In 2005, Izzo and Warrick Dunn took part in an NFL sponsored USO tour to visit troops stationed overseas, beginning their trip at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, where they helped open the Pat Tillman USO Center, then visiting troops in Baghdad, Kuwait and Qatar. Visited injured military personnel at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. in 2004 and 2005.[17]
In 2008, Izzo was awarded the New England PatriotsRon Burton Community Service Award by ownerRobert Kraft for his strong commitment to community service and leadership. Izzo was one of the team's most active community participants, raising over $600,000 for veteran's causes with his annual "Larryoke" Salute to the Troops.[18]
