Armed with over two decades of experience as an NFL assistant, Louie Cioffi joined the Southeastern Louisiana football staff as defensive coordinator in 2018.
Cioffi most recently was a defensive backs coach with the Cleveland Browns during the 2016 season. Prior to that, he spent two seasons with the Tennessee Titans as a defensive back coach in 2014 and 2015.
His first stint with the Browns came during the 2013 season. His secondary ranked eighth in the NFL in passing yards allowed and third in fewest yards per passing attempt (6.15). Cioffi guided cornerback Joe Haden and saftey T.J. Ward to their first Pro Bowl selections.
Prior to his time with the Browns, Cioffi coached the defensive backs for the Arizona Cardinals in 2011 and 2012. Cioffi’s unit helped the Arizona defense lead the NFL in passer rating defense (71.2) and interception percentage (4.4%) in 2012. This same group also ranked second in interceptions (22), second in third-down efficiency (32.9%), fourth in takeaways (33), and fifth in passing yards allowed (200.8).
Under Cioffi’s tutelage, cornerback Patrick Peterson posted seven interceptions, which ranked fourth in the league, led the league with five fumble recoveries and earned his first Pro Bowl selection in 2012. Safety Adrian Wilson earned a Pro Bowl invite following the 2011 season.
Before the Cardinals, Cioffi spent 14 seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals. There, he coached six seasons (1997-2002) as a defensive assistant and eight years (2003-10) as assistant defensive backs coach. In his eight seasons with the defensive backs, the Bengals logged 150 interceptions, fifth most in the NFL during that time span. He joined the league in 1997 as the youngest (23) full-time assistant coach in the NFL at the time.
Cioffi began his coaching career in 1993 as a staff assistant with the New York Jets, where he remained for two seasons before coaching wide receivers for two seasons (1995-96) at C.W. Post University.
A native of Queens, New York, Cioffi was a 1995 graduate of SUNY-Stony Brook in political science. He and his wife, Cindy, have three children, Cecilia Elle, Corrine and Sigismondo Connor.
Hometown: Queens, N.Y.
Education: SUNY-Stony Brook, 1995
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Coaching Timeline
2018 – Southeastern Louisiana – Defensive Coordinator
2016 – Cleveland Browns – Defensive Backs
2014-15 – Tennessee Titans – Defensive Backs
2013 – Cleveland Browns – Defensive Backs
2011-12 – Arizona Cardinals – Defensive Backs
2003-10 – Cincinnati Bengals – Defensive Backs
1997-02 – Cincinnati Bengals – Defensive Assistant
1995-96 – C.W. Post – Wide Receivers
1993-94 – New York Jets – Coaching Assistant
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