The Green Bay Packers have seen former staff members and coaches go on to have extremely successful careers. Most notably, long time head coach Mike McCarthy has gone 42-25 as the head coach in Dallas.
However, there is one former Packers coach who notched his very first win as a head coach.
Former Green Bay Packers Coach Gets First Win As Head Coach
The Green Bay Packers appointed Maurice Drayton as their special teams coordinator for the 2021 season. After serving as the Indianapolis Colts’ special teams coordinator in 2016 and 2017, Drayton was hired as Green Bay’s assistant special teams coach from 2018 to 2020. Now he is making his own legacy as a head coach:
Since his stint in Green Bay, Drayton worked with the Las Vegas Raiders as their assistant special teams coach in 2022 before landing a head coaching opportunity with The Citadel, Drayton’s alma mater, in 2023. Previously, Drayton worked with The Citadel as an assistant from 1999 to 2005 and as the team’s assistant head coach and special teams coordinator from 2014 to 2015.
Last season, things weren’t great for Drayton’s first-year Bulldogs. There’s no way to sugarcoat that. The team went 0-11, though, they played tight games against Virginia Military Institute (17-13) and Wofford (11-3) in the second half of the season.
This past weekend, The Citadel finally got their first win in the Drayton era: a 22-21 victory over their “new rival” Charleston Southern. I say new rival because the two programs, which are only about a 20-minute drive from each other, officially announced and named the rivalry, the Lowcountry Boil, in July.
How did the game end? With The Citadel blocking a Charleston Southern field goal attempt from 44 yards out that would have given CSU the win. I guess that Drayton-coached special teams unit finally paid off.
While it was a long time coming, it was great to see the former Packers special teams coach find success elsewhere.
For More Wisconsin Sports:
Follow me on Twitter at @mcquadewarnold, follow us @WiSportsHeroics. You can also reach out to McQuade Arnold via email at mcquadewarnold@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Wisconsin sports, click here! Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Brewers, Milwaukee Bucks, Wisconsin Badgers. Go Pack Go. On Wisconsin. Fear The Deer. This Is My Crew.
