View source for Eric Bieniemy

{{Short description|American football player and coach (born 1969)}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2023}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| image = Eric Bieniemy OCT2021 (cropped).jpg
| currentteam=Chicago Bears
| caption = Bieniemy with the [[Kansas City Chiefs]] in 2021
| number = <!-- 32, 21, 33-->
| position =Running backs coach 
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1969|8|15}}
| birth_place = [[New Orleans, Louisiana]], U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| height_ft = 5
| height_in = 7
| weight_lb = 205
| high_school = [[Bishop Amat Memorial High School|Bishop Amat]] {{nowrap|([[La Puente, California]])}}
| college = [[Colorado Buffaloes football|Colorado]] (1987–1990)
| draftyear = 1991
| draftround = 2
| draftpick = 38
| pastteams =
* [[San Diego Chargers]] ({{NFL Year|1991|1994}})
* [[Cincinnati Bengals]] ({{NFL Year|1995|1998}})
* [[Philadelphia Eagles]] ({{NFL Year|1999}})
| pastcoaching =
* [[Thomas Jefferson High School (Denver)|Thomas Jefferson HS (CO)]] (2000)<br />Assistant coach
* [[Colorado Buffaloes football|Colorado]] (2001–2002)<br />Running backs coach
* [[UCLA Bruins football|UCLA]] (2003–2004)<br />Running backs coach
* UCLA (2005)<br />Running backs coach & recruiting coordinator
* [[Minnesota Vikings]] ({{NFL Year|2006|2009}})<br />Running backs coach
* Minnesota Vikings ({{NFL Year|2010}})<br />Assistant head coach & running backs coach
* Colorado (2011–2012)<br />Offensive coordinator
* [[Kansas City Chiefs]] ({{NFL Year|2013|2017}})<br />Running backs coach
* Kansas City Chiefs ({{NFL Year|2018|2022}})<br /> Offensive coordinator
* [[Washington Commanders]] ({{NFL Year|2023}})<br />Assistant head coach & offensive coordinator
* UCLA (2024)<br /> Assistant head coach & offensive coordinator
* [[Chicago Bears]] ({{NFL Year|2025|}}–present)<br />Running backs coach
| highlights =
;As a player
* [[AP Trophy|AP national champion]] ([[1990 Colorado Buffaloes football team|1990]])
* [[Unanimous All-American]] ([[1990 College Football All-America Team|1990]])
* [[Big Eight Conference|Big Eight]] Offensive Player of the Year (1990)
* First-team All-Big Eight ([[1988 All-Big Eight Conference football team|1988]], [[1990 All-Big Eight Conference football team|1990]])
* CU Athletic Hall of Fame (2010)
;As a coach
* 2× [[List of Super Bowl champions|Super Bowl champion]] ([[Super Bowl LIV|LIV]], [[Super Bowl LVII|LVII]])
| statlabel1 = Rushing attempts
| statvalue1 = 387
| statlabel2 = Rushing yards
| statvalue2 = 1,589
| statlabel3 = Rushing [[touchdown]]s
| statvalue3 = 11
| regular_record = <!-- {{Winning percentage|ww|ll|record=y}} -->
| playoff_record = <!-- {{Winning percentage|ww|ll|record=y}} -->
| overall_record = <!-- {{Winning percentage|ww|ll|record=y}} -->
| nfl = eric-bieniemy
| pfr = BienEr00
| pfrcoach = BienEr0
}}

'''Eric M. Bieniemy Jr.''' ({{respell|bee-EN-uh-me}};<ref>{{cite web |title=1999 NFL PRONUNCIATION GUIDE |url=https://www.nfl.info/nflmedia/news/1999news/Pronunciation99.htm |website=NFL.com |access-date=23 February 2023}}</ref> born August 15, 1969) is an American professional [[American football|football]] coach and former [[running back]] who is the running backs coach for the [[Chicago Bears]] of the [[National Football League]] (NFL). He played [[college football]] for the [[Colorado Buffaloes football|Colorado Buffaloes]] and is their all-time leader in rushing yards (3,940) and touchdowns (42). Bieniemy was also named a [[unanimous All-American]] and finished third in [[Heisman Trophy]] voting during their [[1990 Colorado Buffaloes football team|1990 national championship season]].

Bieniemy was selected by the [[San Diego Chargers]] in the second round of the [[1991 NFL draft]], later playing for the [[Cincinnati Bengals]] and [[Philadelphia Eagles]] primarily as a [[special teamer]] before returning to Colorado in the early 2000s to finish his degree. Following that, he was hired as the school's running backs coach and later coached for the [[UCLA Bruins football|UCLA Bruins]] and the NFL's [[Minnesota Vikings]], helping develop players such as [[Maurice Jones-Drew]] and [[Adrian Peterson]].

Bieniemy was Colorado's [[offensive coordinator]] for two seasons prior to joining the [[Kansas City Chiefs]] as running backs coach in 2013. He was credited in the development of [[Jamaal Charles]] and [[Kareem Hunt]], with the latter [[List of National Football League annual rushing yards leaders|leading the NFL in rushing yards]] as a rookie in 2017. He was promoted to offensive coordinator under head coach [[Andy Reid]] in 2018, winning [[Super Bowl LIV]] and [[Super Bowl LVII]] with the Chiefs. Bieniemy also served as the [[Washington Commanders]] assistant head coach and offensive coordinator in 2023 and the offensive coordinator for the [[UCLA Bruins football|UCLA Bruins]] in 2024 before joining the Bears as their running backs coach in 2025.

==Early life==
Bieniemy was born on August 15, 1969, in [[New Orleans, Louisiana]]. He later moved with his family to [[Hollywood, California]], in 1979 before settling in [[West Covina, California]], the following year.<ref name="LA1992">{{cite web |last1=Simers |first1=T. J. |title=Bieniemy Now Makes Trouble for Opponents |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-10-23-sp-828-story.html |website=[[Los Angeles Times]] |access-date=February 20, 2023 |date=October 23, 1992|author-link=T. J. Simers}}</ref> He later attended [[Bishop Amat Memorial High School]] in [[La Puente, California]], [[Letterman (sports)|lettering]] in football and [[track and field]]. Bieniemy earned second-team All-America football honors as a senior in 1986 after rushing for 2,002 yards and 30 touchdowns.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Robb|first=Sharon|date=December 25, 1989|title=Colorado's Bieniemy Puts Problems in Past|work=South Florida Sun Sentinel|url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1989-12-25-8902160843-story.html|access-date=December 14, 2020|archive-date=July 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210701222655/https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1989-12-25-8902160843-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

==College career==
Bieniemy enrolled at the [[University of Colorado Boulder]] in 1987, choosing them over the [[University of Southern California]] explaining: "I had been used to living in a big city; I had never been in a small city. It was pretty, it was the first time in snow, it was just something different. I wanted to be a part of it."<ref name="LA1992"/> He was an immediate starter for the [[Colorado Buffaloes football|Colorado Buffaloes]] as a freshman and was named to the [[1988 All-Big Eight Conference football team]] as a sophomore after rushing 219 times for 1,243 yards and 10 touchdowns.<ref name="CFB">{{cite web |title=Eric Bieniemy CFB |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/eric-bieniemy-1.html |website=Sports Reference |access-date=20 February 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=All-Big Eight football|newspaper=The Salina Journal|date=November 23, 1988|page=11|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/7253442/1988_ap_allbig_eight_football_team/}}</ref>

He played in the [[Fifth Down Game (1990)|Fifth Down Game]] against [[Missouri Tigers football|Missouri]] as a senior in [[1990 Colorado Buffaloes football team|1990]], in which two consecutive rushes by him were counted as second down due to an officiating error.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/espn/eticket/story?page=101006/FifthDown |title=OTL: Fifth-and-goal|date=2010-10-06 |access-date=2021-11-03 |publisher=ESPN |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210610200849/https://www.espn.com/espn/eticket/story?page=101006/FifthDown |archive-date=2021-06-10 }}</ref> By the end of the 1990 season, he was named the [[Big Eight Conference]]'s Offensive Player of the Year while finishing third in [[Heisman Trophy]] voting after rushing for 1,628 with 17 touchdowns en route to a national championship.<ref name="5ThingsWSH">{{cite web |last1=Selby |first1=Zach |title=Five things to know about Eric Bieniemy |url=https://www.commanders.com/news/five-things-to-know-about-eric-bieniemy |website=Commanders.com |access-date=18 February 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/awards/heisman-1990.html |title=1990 Heisman Trophy Voting |access-date=January 8, 2020 |archive-date=December 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211212171318/https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/awards/heisman-1990.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Bieniemy is Colorado's all-time leader in rushing (3,940 yards), rushing touchdowns (42), and all-purpose yards (4,351).<ref name="lost">{{cite web|title=Eric Bieniemy |url=http://www.lostlettermen.com/football/Big_12/Colorado/Keith_Mitchell/p143845/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120307034953/http://www.lostlettermen.com/football/Big_12/Colorado/Keith_Mitchell/p143845/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 7, 2012 |work=lostlettermen.com |access-date=October 6, 2010 }}</ref> He was inducted into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame in 2010.<ref>{{cite web |title=Eric Bieniemy (2010) - CU Athletic Hall of Fame |url=https://cubuffs.com/honors/cu-athletic-hall-of-fame/eric-bieniemy/40 |website=cubuffs.com |access-date=February 18, 2023}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+ College statistics
! rowspan="2"| Season
! rowspan="2"| GP
! colspan="4"| Rushing
! colspan="4"| Receiving
|-
! Att !! Yds !! Avg !! TD !! Rec !! Yds !! Avg !! TD
|-
! [[1987 Colorado Buffaloes football team|1987]]
| 11 || 104 || 508 || 4.9 || 5 || 10 || 186 || 18.6 || 1
|-
! [[1988 Colorado Buffaloes football team|1988]]
| 10 || 219 || 1,243 || 5.7 || 10 || 2 || 20 || 10 || 0
|-
! [[1989 Colorado Buffaloes football team|1989]]
| 8 || 88 || 561 || 6.4 || 9 || 2 || 15 || 7.5 || 0
|-
! [[1990 Colorado Buffaloes football team|1990]]
| 11 || 288 || 1,628 || 5.7 || 17 || 13 || 159 || 12.2 || 0
|-
! Career<ref name="CFB"/> !! 40 !! 699 !! 3,940 !! 5.6 !! 41 !! 27 !! 380 !! 14.1 !! 1
|}

==Professional career==
{{NFL predraft
|    height ft = 5
|    height in = 7 1/8
|       weight = 208
|         dash = 4.50
|    ten split = 1.62
| twenty split = 2.65
|     vertical = 36.0
|     broad ft = 9
|     broad in = 1
|        bench = 19
|     arm span = 29 1/2
|    hand span = 9 1/4
}}

Bieniemy was selected by the [[San Diego Chargers]] in the second round (39th overall) of the [[1991 NFL draft]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=1991 NFL Draft Listing |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1991/draft.htm |access-date=2023-05-07 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> In 1994, he appeared in [[Super Bowl XXIX]] and recorded a 33-yard reception, the longest of the game for the team. Bieniemy also played with the [[Cincinnati Bengals]] in 1995 to 1998 before retiring after one season with the [[Philadelphia Eagles]] in 1999. He finished his career with 1,589 rushing yards, 1,223 receiving yards, 276 return yards, 1,621 yards on kickoff returns, and 12 touchdowns (11 rushing and one kickoff).

==NFL career statistics==
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="2"| Legend
|-
| style="background:#cfecec; width:3em;"|
| Led the league
|-
| '''Bold'''
| Career high
|}

===Regular season===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Team
! colspan="2"| Games
! colspan="5"| Rushing
! colspan="5"| Receiving
! colspan="5"| Kick returns
! colspan="5"| Punt returns
|-
! GP !! GS !! Att !! Yds !! Avg !! Lng !! TD !! Rec !! Yds !! Avg !! Lng !! TD !! Ret !! Yds !! Avg !! Lng !! TD !! Ret !! Yds !! Avg !! Lng !! TD
|-
! [[1991 NFL season|1991]] !! [[1991 San Diego Chargers season|SD]]
| 15 || 0 || 3 || 17 || 5.7 || 15 || 0 || 0 || – || – || – || – || 0 || – || – || – || – || 0 || – || – || – || –
|-
! [[1992 NFL season|1992]] !! [[1992 San Diego Chargers season|SD]]
| 15 || 0 || 74 || 264 || 3.6 || 21 || '''3''' || 5 || 49 || 9.8 || 25 || 0 || 15 || 257 || 17.1 || 30 || 0 || '''30''' || '''229''' || '''7.6''' || '''21''' || 0
|-
! [[1993 NFL season|1993]] !! [[1993 San Diego Chargers season|SD]]
| '''16''' || 0 || 33 || 135 || 4.1 || 12 || 1 || 1 || 0 || 0.0 || 0 || 0 || 7 || 110 || 15.7 || 18 || 0 || 0 || – || – || – || –
|-
! [[1994 NFL season|1994]] !! [[1994 San Diego Chargers season|SD]]
| '''16''' || 0 || 73 || 295 || 4.0 || '''36''' || 0 || 5 || 48 || 9.6 || 25 || 0 ||  0 || – || – || – || – || 0 || – || – || – || –
|-
! [[1995 NFL season|1995]] !! [[1995 Cincinnati Bengals season|CIN]]
| '''16''' || '''1''' || '''98''' || '''381''' || 3.9 || 27 || '''3''' || '''43''' || '''424''' || 9.9 || 33 || 0 || 8 || 168 || 21.0 || 34 || 0 || 7 || 47 || 6.7 || 10 || 0
|-
! [[1996 NFL season|1996]] !! [[1996 Cincinnati Bengals season|CIN]]
| '''16''' || 0 || 56 || 269 || 4.8 || 33 || 2 || 32 || 272 || 8.5 || '''42''' || 0 || 0 || – || – || – || – || 0 || – || – || – || –
|-
! [[1997 NFL season|1997]] !! [[1997 Cincinnati Bengals season|CIN]]
| '''16''' || 0 || 21 || 97 || 4.6 || 20 || 1 || 31 || 249 || 8.0 || 21 || 0 || '''34''' || '''789''' || '''23.2''' || style="background:#cfecec"| '''102''' || '''1''' || 0 || – || – || – || –
|-
! [[1998 NFL season|1998]] !! [[1998 Cincinnati Bengals season|CIN]]
| '''16''' || 0 || 17 || 56 || 3.3 || 9 || 0 || 27 || 153 || 5.7 || 15 || 0 || 5 || 87 || 17.4 || 22 || 0 || 0 || – || – || – || –
|-
! [[1999 NFL season|1999]] !! [[1999 Philadelphia Eagles season|PHI]]
| '''16''' || 0 || 12 || 75 || '''6.3''' || 28 || 1 || 2 || 28 || '''14.0''' || 27 || 0 || 10 || 210 || 21.0 || 30 || 0 || 0 || – || – || – || –
|-
! colspan="2"| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/BienEr00.htm Career]
! 142 !! 1 !! 387 !! 1,589 !! 4.1 !! 36 !! 11 !! 146 !! 1,223 !! 8.4 !! 42 !! 0 !! 79 !! 1,621 !! 20.5 !! 102 !! 1 !! 37 !! 276 !! 7.5 !! 21 !! 0
|}

===Postseason===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Team
! colspan="2"| Games
! colspan="5"| Rushing
! colspan="5"| Receiving
! colspan="5"| Kick returns
|-
! GP !! GS !! Att !! Yds !! Avg !! Lng !! TD !! Rec !! Yds !! Avg !! Lng !! TD !! Ret !! Yds !! Avg !! Lng !! TD
|-
! [[1992-93 NFL playoffs|1992]] !! [[1992 San Diego Chargers season|SD]]
| 2 || 0 || '''17''' || '''64''' || 3.8 || 14 || 0 || '''1''' || -4 || -4.0 || -4 || 0 || '''1''' || '''14''' || '''14.0''' || '''14''' || 0
|-
! [[1994-95 NFL playoffs|1994]] !! [[1994 San Diego Chargers season|SD]]
| '''3''' || 0 || 5 || 36 || '''7.2''' || '''17''' || 0 || '''1''' || '''33''' || '''33.0''' || '''33''' || 0 || '''1''' || 13 || 13.0 || 13 || 0
|-
! colspan="2"| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/BienEr00.htm Career]
! 5 !! 0 !! 22 !! 100 !! 4.5 !! 17 !! 0 !! 2 !! 29 !! 14.5 !! 33 !! 0 !! 2 !! 27 !! 13.5 !! 14 !! 0
|}

==Coaching career==
===Early college jobs===
Bieniemy was an assistant coach at Denver's [[Thomas Jefferson High School (Denver)|Thomas Jefferson High School]] in 2000.<ref name="5ThingsKC">{{cite web |title=Five Things to Know About New Chiefs' OC Eric Bieniemy |url=https://www.chiefs.com/news/five-things-to-know-about-new-chiefs-oc-eric-bieniemy-20229514 |website=chiefs.com |access-date=27 February 2023}}</ref> He re-enrolled at Colorado in 2001 to finish his degree in [[sociology]] and was the running backs coach for the Buffaloes from [[2001 Colorado Buffaloes football team|2001]] to [[2002 Colorado Buffaloes football team|2002]] and was [[UCLA Bruins football|UCLA]] running back coach from [[2003 UCLA Bruins football team|2003]] to [[2005 UCLA Bruins football team|2005]], as well as the team's recruiting coordinator in 2005.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|last1=Bach|first1=Jessica|last2=Tran|first2=Bruce|date=April 5, 2004|title=Football: Bieniemy to likely face questioning|work=Daily Bruin|url=https://dailybruin.com/2004/04/05/football-bieniemy-to-likely-fa|access-date=December 14, 2020|archive-date=November 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112020748/https://dailybruin.com/2004/04/05/football-bieniemy-to-likely-fa|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Minnesota Vikings===
Following UCLA's [[2005 Sun Bowl]] victory, Bieniemy accepted a position as running backs coach for the [[Minnesota Vikings]] in the [[National Football League|NFL]]. During his time with the Vikings, [[Adrian Peterson]] led the NFC in rushing with 1,341 yards in 2007 and also in 2008 with 1,760 yards, which was also top in the NFL. Bieniemy was given the title of assistant head coach in 2010.<ref>{{cite web|title=Vikings promote RB coach Bieniemy|url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/news/story?id=5411763|work=espn.com|access-date=October 6, 2010|date=July 26, 2010|archive-date=December 10, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101210043857/http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5411763|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Return to Colorado===
On December 2, 2010, Bieniemy returned to Colorado as [[offensive coordinator]] under head coach [[Jon Embree]]. Bieniemy was offered the head coach position in 2020 at Colorado but he declined.<ref name="usatoday.com">{{Cite web |url=https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/sports/nfl/columnist/bell/2020/12/30/eric-bieniemy-tries-beat-trend-lack-nfl-black-coaching-picks/4022532001/ |title=Eric Bieniemy is ready to be a head coach. Which NFL team will finally take him? |access-date=January 2, 2021 |archive-date=January 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210102093023/https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/sports/nfl/columnist/bell/2020/12/30/eric-bieniemy-tries-beat-trend-lack-nfl-black-coaching-picks/4022532001/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Kansas City Chiefs===
In [[2013 Kansas City Chiefs season|2013]], [[Kansas City Chiefs]] head coach [[Andy Reid]] hired Bieniemy to be the running backs coach. In [[2018 Kansas City Chiefs season|2018]], Reid promoted Bieniemy to offensive coordinator to succeed [[Matt Nagy]] who had been hired as the head coach of the [[Chicago Bears]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nfl.com/news/chiefs-promote-eric-bieniemy-to-offensive-coordinator-0ap3000000904902 |title=Chiefs promote Eric Bieniemy to offensive coordinator |last=Bergman |first=Jeremy |date=January 9, 2018 |website=NFL.com |access-date=January 10, 2018 |archive-date=January 10, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180110033818/http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000904902/article/chiefs-promote-eric-bieniemy-to-offensive-coordinator |url-status=live }}</ref> In Bieniemy's first season as the Chiefs offensive coordinator, the Chiefs were first in the NFL in yards per game and points scored.<ref name="usatoday.com"/> The Chiefs scored the third-most points in a season in NFL history with 565. Additionally, Chiefs quarterback [[Patrick Mahomes]] became the second quarterback in NFL history, along with [[Peyton Manning]], to throw for 5,000 yards and 50 touchdowns in a season.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Lund |first1=Spencer |title=Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes Becomes 2nd Ever to Throw 50 TDs and 5,000 Yards in a Season |url=https://www.complex.com/sports/2018/12/chiefs-patrick-mahomes-throw-50-tds-5000-yards-in-season |website=complex.com |access-date=January 20, 2020 |archive-date=September 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200919092812/https://www.complex.com/sports/2018/12/chiefs-patrick-mahomes-throw-50-tds-5000-yards-in-season |url-status=live }}</ref> The Chiefs reached the 2018 [[AFC Championship Game]] where they lost to the [[New England Patriots]]. In [[2019 Kansas City Chiefs season|2019]], Bieniemy won his first Super Bowl when the Chiefs defeated the [[San Francisco 49ers]] 31–20 in [[Super Bowl LIV]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Super Bowl LIV - San Francisco 49ers vs. Kansas City Chiefs - February 2nd, 2020 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/202002020kan.htm |access-date=2023-02-19 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> In [[2022 Kansas City Chiefs season|2022]], Bieniemy won his second Super Bowl with the Chiefs after defeating the [[Philadelphia Eagles]] 38–35 in [[Super Bowl LVII]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Super Bowl LVII - Philadelphia Eagles vs. Kansas City Chiefs - February 12th, 2023 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/202302120phi.htm |access-date=2023-02-19 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref>

=== Washington Commanders ===
On February 17, 2023, Bieniemy signed a two-year contract with the [[Washington Commanders]] to be [[Ron Rivera]]'s [[assistant head coach]] and offensive coordinator.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Keim |first1=John |title=Commanders officially name Eric Bieniemy as offensive coordinator |url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/35681863/sources-washington-commanders-offer-oc-job-eric-bieniemy |website=ESPN.com |access-date=20 February 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Jhabvala |first=Nicki |date=February 17, 2023 |title=Commanders hire Eric Bieniemy as assistant head coach, offensive coordinator |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/02/17/eric-bieniemy-commanders-chiefs/ |access-date=February 18, 2023 |website=[[The Washington Post]] |language=en-US}}</ref> He was given full playcalling duties, something he shared under Chiefs head coach [[Andy Reid]].<ref name="KC2DC">{{cite web |last1=Keim |first1=John |last2=Teicher |first2=Adam |title=What Eric Bieniemy's move means for the Chiefs, Commanders and his career |url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/35675202/why-offensive-coordinator-eric-bieniemy-left-chiefs-commanders |website=[[ESPN.com]] |access-date=February 19, 2023 |date=February 17, 2023}}</ref> At the conclusion of his first season with Washington, the Commanders finished with a 4–13 record. Bieniemy's offense ranked 21st in average yards per game.<ref>{{cite web |title=2023 NFL Offense Rankings: Team Pass and Rush Stats |url=https://www.foxsports.com/articles/nfl/2023-nfl-offense-rankings-team-pass-and-rush-stats |website=Fox Sports.com |access-date=7 January 2024}}</ref> Bieniemy was not retained by newly hired head coach [[Dan Quinn (American football)|Dan Quinn]] following the season.<ref>{{cite web |title=Commanders fire Eric Bieniemy, coach Dan Quinn says |url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/39466775/commanders-fire-ex-oc-eric-bieniemy-coach-dan-quinn-says|website=ESPN.com |access-date=5 February 2024}}</ref>

===UCLA (second stint)===
In February 2024, Bieniemy was named the associate head coach and offensive coordinator at [[UCLA Bruins football|UCLA]].<ref>{{cite web|title=UCLA hires Eric Bieniemy: Ex-Chiefs, Commanders offensive coordinator joins Bruins as associate head coach/OC|author=Podell, Garrett|date=February 24, 2024|access-date=February 27, 2024|url=https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/ucla-hires-eric-bieniemy-ex-chiefs-commanders-offensive-coordinator-joins-bruins-as-associate-head-coachoc/|work=CBS Sports}}</ref> He was dismissed on December 5, 2024, after UCLA finished their season 5–7, ranking 117th in yards per game and 126th in points scored per game.<ref name="https://sports.yahoo.com/sources-eric-bieniemy-out-after-one-season-as-uclas-offensive-coordinator-174950381.html">{{cite web |last1=Bromberg |first1=Nick |title=Sources: Eric Bieniemy out after one season as UCLA's offensive coordinator |url=https://sports.yahoo.com/sources-eric-bieniemy-out-after-one-season-as-uclas-offensive-coordinator-174950381.html |website=sports.yahoo.com |publisher=Yahoo! |access-date=5 December 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Bolch |first1=Ben |title=UCLA parts with offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy after one difficult season |url=https://www.latimes.com/sports/ucla/story/2024-12-05/ucla-parts-with-offensive-coordinator-eric-bieniemy |access-date=5 December 2024 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=5 December 2024}}</ref>

===Chicago Bears===
New Bears head coach [[Ben Johnson (American football coach)|Ben Johnson]] hired Bieniemy to be the running backs coach ahead of the 2025 season.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.chicagobears.com/news/bears-add-to-coaching-staff|title=Bears add to coaching staff|work=[[Chicago Bears]]|date=February 20, 2025|access-date=March 1, 2025}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Bieniemy and his wife have two sons.<ref name="lost" /> His nephew, Jamal, played basketball at the [[University of Oklahoma]] and [[University of Texas El Paso]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Jamal Bieniemy player profile |url=http://www.soonersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=31000&ATCLID=211776525 |website=SoonerSports.com |access-date=January 3, 2019 |archive-date=January 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190103110639/http://www.soonersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=31000&ATCLID=211776525 |url-status=live }}</ref> He also is a member of [[Omega Psi Phi]].<ref name="LA1992"/>

===Legal issues===
Bieniemy was arrested along with Colorado teammate [[Kanavis McGhee]] following a bar fight in February 1988. McGhee said the dispute arose after Bieniemy alleged that he had been called a "[[nigger]]" by a bar patron.<ref name="Glory">{{Cite news|last=Reilly|first=Rick|date=February 27, 1989|title=What Price Glory?|work=Sports Illustrated|url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1989/02/27/what-price-glory-under-coach-bill-mccartney-colorado-football-has-taken-off-but-so-has-ugly-criminal-behavior-among-the-buffalo-players|access-date=December 14, 2020|archive-date=December 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201215002951/https://vault.si.com/vault/1989/02/27/what-price-glory-under-coach-bill-mccartney-colorado-football-has-taken-off-but-so-has-ugly-criminal-behavior-among-the-buffalo-players|url-status=live}}</ref> He pleaded no contest to disorderly conduct and was sentenced to community service.<ref name="Glory"/> Bieniemy also received discipline from head coach [[Bill McCartney]].<ref name="Glory"/>

In 1989, Bieniemy was ticketed in [[Westminster, Colorado]], for driving a defective vehicle, and in [[Aurora, Colorado]] for speeding. In October 1990, his license was suspended for a year after another traffic violation. On March 21, 1991, Bieniemy was caught speeding and driving with suspended license on [[Interstate 70]] near [[Rifle, Colorado]], going 92&nbsp;mph in a 65&nbsp;mph zone. On April 17, 1991, Bieniemy failed to appear in court on charges relating to the March 21 incident. A bench warrant was issued in Colorado for his arrest on April 23, 1991, two days after Bieniemy was drafted in the NFL.<ref name="Facebook"/>

On July 4, 1990, Bieniemy pleaded no contest to interfering with a firefighter who had been performing his duties to extinguish a fire in Bieniemy's mother's garage.<ref name="Facebook"/> Bieniemy received an eight-month suspended sentence<ref name=":0" /> and was suspended for one game.<ref>{{Cite news|date=July 24, 1990|title=Colorado tailback suspended for alteraction|agency=UPI|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1990/07/24/Colorado-tailback-suspended-for-alteraction/5791648792000/|access-date=December 14, 2020|archive-date=January 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115203751/https://www.upi.com/Archives/1990/07/24/Colorado-tailback-suspended-for-alteraction/5791648792000/|url-status=live}}</ref> Bieniemy was instructed to do 40 hours of community service and attend an eight-hour firefighting training session.<ref name="Facebook"/> An assistant city attorney said that Bieniemy failed to attend the firefighting training session as stipulated in the plea agreement, but Bieniemy asserted the session was optional.<ref name="Facebook">{{Cite web|date=April 23, 1991|title=Newest Charger on the Run : Colorado Warrant for Bieniemy's Arrest Is Latest Brush with Law|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-04-23-sp-497-story.html|access-date=January 13, 2021|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US|archive-date=January 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114141343/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-04-23-sp-497-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

On September 27, 1993, Bieniemy was arrested for allegedly harassing a female parking attendant. According to the police report, while with his friends, Bieniemy put his hand on the attendant's neck, startling her. She told police<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|date=September 27, 1993|title=Chargers' Bieniemy Arrested|work=Orlando Sentinel|url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1993-09-27-9309270294-story.html|access-date=October 26, 2024|archive-date=January 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118060451/https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1993-09-27-9309270294-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> that Bieniemy and his friends took off their pants and began urinating nearby. Bieniemy was also named in an outstanding warrant on a charge of driving with a suspended license. As a result of this incident, Bieniemy was banned from the school campus for a year.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web|title=Lawrence Journal-World - Google News Archive Search|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2199&dat=19930927&id=z60zAAAAIBAJ&pg=2861,9202179&hl=en|access-date=January 13, 2021|website=news.google.com|archive-date=January 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122024702/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2199&dat=19930927&id=z60zAAAAIBAJ&pg=2861,9202179&hl=en|url-status=live}}</ref>

In April 2001, Bieniemy was arrested for driving under the influence and was docked a month's pay.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Eric Bieniemy Arrested in DUI Case|url=https://apnews.com/article/95bd40c46c3e4e3b3fe1b2a353e9e199|access-date=January 13, 2021|website=AP NEWS|archive-date=January 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115092141/https://apnews.com/article/95bd40c46c3e4e3b3fe1b2a353e9e199|url-status=live}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* [https://www.chicagobears.com/team/coaches/eric-bieniemy Chicago Bears profile]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20140305094114/http://www.cubuffs.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=3854&SPID=255&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=600&ATCLID=205074090&Q_SEASON=2012 Colorado Buffaloes profile]

{{NFL running back coaches}}
{{Navboxes|title=Eric Bieniemy|list=
{{1990 Colorado Buffaloes football navbox}}
{{1990 NCAA Division I-A College Football Consensus All-Americans}}
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{{Super Bowl LIV}}
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}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bieniemy, Eric}}
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