WEST HAVEN, Conn. – A seasoned veteran on NFL sidelines, former University of New Haven football head coach Darren Rizzi was named the interim head coach for the New Orleans Saints as announced by the organization on Monday. Rizzi replaces Dennis Allen who was let go by the organization.

Rizzi was named Special Teams Coordinator for the Saints on February 2019 and added the role of Assistant Head Coach in 2022. The Hillside, New Jersey native began his coaching career in 1993 as a graduate assistant at Colgate University. Since then he had collegiate stops at New Haven, Northeastern, Rutgers and Rhode Island before braking into the professional tanks as an Assistant Special Team Coach with the Miami Dolphins in 2009.

He would remain with the Dolphins for 10 years rising to the position of Associate Head Coach and Special Teams Coordinator for the 2017 and 2018 seasons before transitioning to New Orleans in 2019.

Rizzi had two stints on the sidelines at New Haven, his first as the Special Team Coordinator and Defensive Line Coach from 1994-96. He was then named the Chargers Defensive Coordinator for the 1997 campaign before leaving West Haven to spend one season at Northeastern. He would return to New Haven in 1999 to take the reigns of the program, spending three seasons at the helm. Overall, Rizzi racked up a 15-14 record before leaving to take a position as the Special Teams Coordinator at Rutgers.

Rizzi and the Saints get back to work in week 10, hosting the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, November 10, looking to turnaround a 2-7 season thus far.