UCLA Football: Maurice Jones-Drew Explains Why Eric Bieniemy Was a Huge Pickup for Bruins

Jeremy Hanna | Oct 16, 2024

Jul 28, 2023; Ashburn, VA, USA; Washington Commanders assistant head coach/offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy smiles while walking to the fields prior to day three of Commanders training camp at OrthoVirginia Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The UCLA Bruins are off to a rough start in their debut season in the Big Ten Conference.

After winning their first game against Hawaii, UCLA has been on a five-game losing streak, most recently experiencing a narrow 17-21 loss to Minnesota where they led for over half of the game.

Still, there is hope for a new team going through an abundance of changes, including in its coaching staff. This includes new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, who one UCLA legend thinks is an incredible asset to the Bruins going forward.

In a recent interview with James Brizuela of LA Sports Report, former All-American and Pro Bowl running back Maurice Jones-Drew complimented new UCLA head coach DeShaun Foster and the staff he has surrounded himself with, including Bieniemy.

"Obviously hiring Eric Bieniemy, who was my coach at UCLA, was a great teacher," Jones-Drew said. "He prepares, he's gonna have guys ready."

Jones-Drew isn't wrong. Before becoming the offensive coordinator, Bieniemy served as the running back coach for UCLA from 2003-2005.

In that system, Jones-Drew found massive success, rushing for a total of 2,503 yards and 26 touchdowns over three seasons. He also made 64 receptions for 819 yards and seven touchdowns.

During this time, Jones-Drew was named a Unanimous All-American (2005), first-team All-Pac-10 (2005), and second-team All-Pac-10 (2004).

Meanwhile, Bieniemy has been through a fruitful coaching career after playing for Colorado from 1987-1990 and the NFL from 1991-1999.

As a running back in college, Bieniemy was an AP National Champion, a Unanimous All-American, and the Big Eight Offensive Player of the Year, all in 1990. He was named to the Colorado University Hall of Fame in 2010.

Across four seasons, Bieniemy rushed for 3,940 yards and 41 touchdowns and made 27 receptions for 380 yards and one touchdown.

In the NFL, Bieniemy played with the San Diego Chargers, the Cincinnati Bengals, and the Philadelphia Eagles. Across nine seasons, he rushed for 1,589 yards and 11 touchdowns. He also secured 1,223 yards receiving yards.

As a coach, Bieniemy worked for Colorado and UCLA before becoming the running backs coach for the Minnesota Vikings (2006-2010) and Kansas City Chiefs (2013-2017) before becoming the offensive coordinator for Kansas City from 2018-2022. He then joined the Washington Commanders as the offensive coordinator and assistant head coach in 2023.

With the Chiefs, Bieniemy won Super Bowl LIV and Super Bowl LVII. He also helped lead Kansas City to Super Bowl LV, but they lost 31-9 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

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