Matt Raich enters his sixth season with the Cardinals and fourth as linebackers coach after being promoted on 2/18/09. He joined the Cardinals on 2/6/07 and served his first two seasons as a defensive assistant, helping with the linebackers prior to his promotion. Previously an offensive assistant under current Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt with the Pittsburgh Steelers for three seasons (2004-06), Raich switched to the defensive side of the ball with the Cardinals, helping to coach the position he played in college.
Matt Raich enters his sixth season with the Cardinals and fourth as linebackers coach after being promoted on 2/18/09. He joined the Cardinals on 2/6/07 and served his first two seasons as a defensive assistant, helping with the linebackers prior to his promotion. Previously an offensive assistant under current Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt with the Pittsburgh Steelers for three seasons (2004-06), Raich switched to the defensive side of the ball with the Cardinals, helping to coach the position he played in college.
Last year, two of Raich’s pupils went over 100 tackles for the season. Daryl Washington led the team with 111 stops, and added career highs with five sacks, 16 tackles for loss, and two interceptions, while Paris Lenon had his second straight season with over 100 tackles as he collected 103 in 2011 after having 127 tackles in 2010. Over the past two seasons, Raich has also been instrumental in the development of young outside linebackers Sam Acho (seven sacks as a rookie in 2011) and O’Brien Schofield (4.5 sacks in 2011 in his second season).
Raich joined the Steelers coaching staff prior to the 2004 season after spending two years as an intern in the Pittsburgh player personnel department.
Prior to joining the Steelers scouting department in 2002, Raich served three seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Robert Morris (2000-02). He also held assistant coaching positions at Glenville State (1999), Robert Morris (1996-98) and Westminster (1993-94). In addition, he served as the defensive coordinator for the Hildesheim Invaders Football Club in the German Federal League in the spring of 1999.
A Monaca, PA native, Raich was a standout middle linebacker at Westminster College (PA) from 1989-1992 and a member of the Titans 1989 NAIA National Championship team. He was a three-time NAIA All-American and ended his career as the school's all-time leading tackler. Raich graduated from Westminster in 1994 with a bachelor’s in Education and was inducted into the Titans Sports Hall of Fame in 2002.
He and his wife, Amanda, reside in Ahwatukee.
