The XFL announced that longtime NFL and college football coach Pep Hamilton will be the head coach and general manager of the league’s Washington, D.C. franchise.
Hamilton was most recently the passing game coordinator at Michigan and a finalist for the head coaching job at Maryland.
Hamilton, 44, is a graduate of Howard University in Washington and began his career as a quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator in the late 1990s. But this new job with the as-yet-unnamed Washington franchise will be his first time as a head coach at any level.
Hamilton was recruited to the league by family friend Oliver Luck, who will be the new XFL’s first commissioner. Luck’s son, quarterback Andrew Luck, worked with Hamilton both at Stanford and with the Indianapolis Colts.
The revived XFL will kick off its first season in 2020 and likely face competition from the likes of the Alliance of American Football, a spring league that began this year to positive reception.
At his introductory press conference Thursday at Audi Field, where the franchise plans to play its home games, Hamilton said football afforded him opportunities throughout his life, and he hoped the new team would do the same for Washington’s youth.
“I think it is important that there is inclusion as we build this franchise. It’s my goal to really give the little league coaches, the high school coaches, the coaches that I’ve nurtured relationships with over the years, to give them access to pro football that they wouldn’t otherwise have. I feel like that’s going to make our game grow in this community and more importantly give the young people a perspective, give them an opportunity to go out and achieve and realize their dreams the way that I have.”
• Adam Zielonka can be reached at azielonka@washingtontimes.com.
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