Brian Michalowski - Football Coach - University of Colorado Athletics

Delaware

Sep 6 (Sat)

1:30 PM

Brian Michalowski

Title:
Assistant Coach/Outside Linebackers
Email:
harding.harper@colorado.edu
Phone:
303-492-9787

Brian Michalowski is in his third year as outside linebackers coach at Colorado, as he was promoted into the position in mid-February 2019 after he originally joined the staff as the director of quality control for the defense on January 7 of that year. He was one of four assistant coaches retained by new head Karl Dorrell ahead of the 2020 season.

Michalowski, 32, came to Boulder after spending one season in a similar capacity at the University of Georgia, where he worked alongside former CU head coach Mel Tucker and former Buff defensive coordinator, Tyson Summers. At UGA, he worked with outside linebackers and helped the Bulldogs post an 11-3 record, claim the Southeastern Conference East Division title and earn an invitation to the AllState Sugar Bowl. Georgia was ranked No. 8 in the final polls and was 13th in the nation in total defense.

In his first year at Colorado, he coached the outside linebacker position, which included the star (OLB/safety hybrid), where Davion Taylor emerged at the latter as a potential high NFL draft pick as he finished second on the team in tackles. In 2020, his second season of tutoring Carson Wells, who would earn second-team All-Pac-12 honors and lead the nation in tackles for loss per game (2.67).

He was a graduate assistant for the defense at the University of Memphis for two years (2016-17), where he coached the “Kat” outside linebacker position. During those two seasons, Memphis won 18 games and ranked in the top 10 nationally in defensive takeaways each year.

Prior to his time at Memphis, Michalowski spent the 2015 season as the defensive coordinator for Garden City Community College, a member of the Kansas Jayhawk Conference, one of the nation’s premier junior college conferences. That season, he coached Jeremy Faulk, the NJCAA Defensive Player of the Year. Garden City led the league in passing defense, holding opponents to 169 yards per game while making 14 interceptions; the Broncbusters also recorded 31 sacks in 11 games.

In 2014, Michalowski spent the season overseas coaching in the 16-team German Football League (GFL) as the defensive coordinator for the Cologne Falcons. He assisted in the club’s dramatic six-game improvement from a 2-12 record the to an 8-6 mark, the latter including the team’s first-ever playoff victory before falling in the semifinals to the eventual league champion. Cologne improved in every defensive statistical category from the previous year, ranking third in the GFL in pass defense and turnover margin, fourth in interceptions, and sixth in total defense and scoring defense.

Michalowski was a defensive graduate assistant at University of Wyoming under head coach Dave Christensen, coaching the Cowboys’ “Buck” outside linebacker position and also had coaching responsibilities in all phases of special teams.

From 2007 to 2012, Michalowski climbed up the coaching ladder at his alma mater, Arizona State University. In 2012, he was a defensive graduate assistant for a Sun Devil team that had an 8-4 record and finished the season with a victory over Navy in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl. He worked with the defensive line and held responsibilities coaching on special teams as the Sun Devil defense was second in the Pac-12 in total defense (first in pass defense) and second in the nation in both quarterback sacks and in tackles for loss.

He had spent the 2011 season as a defensive quality control assistant for head coach Dennis Erickson. In that role, Michalowski assisted with defensive backs and special teams, including a kickoff return unit that finished 10th in the nation and had six returns for touchdowns over the course of two seasons. He was a student assistant at ASU for four seasons, initially working with recruiting and special teams, and eventually began working on the defensive side of the football in 2009, assisting with the secondary for the next two seasons. During this time, he also completed a training camp internship with the Buffalo Bills in the summer of 2010, where he had responsibilities with pro personnel and camp operations.

He earned his bachelor's degree in Marketing with a minor in Psychology in 2011 from Arizona State University.

He was born June 10, 1989 in Morristown, N.J., and graduated from Notre Dame Prep (Scottsdale, Ariz.), where he lettered in football; that’s where he got his first taste of the coaching profession in the fall of 2007. His hobbies include hiking, skiing and golf. He is married to the former Kristin Ruffin (last name is pronounced michael-ow-ski).

AT-A-GLANCE—He has coached in 18 Division I-A (FBS) games as a full-time coach (all at Colorado), and has coached in one bowl game (2020 Alamo).

COACHING EXPERIENCE

2011	Arizona State	Quality Control (Defense/Secondary)
2012	Arizona State	Graduate Assistant (Defense/Secondary)
2013	Wyoming	Graduate Assistant (Defense/Outside Linebackers)
2014	Cologne (Germany)	Defensive Coordinator
2015	Garden City CC	Defensive Coordinator
2016-17	Memphis	Graduate Assistant (Defense/Outside Linebackers)
2018	Georgia	Quality Control/Defense (Outside Linebackers)
2019	Colorado	Quality Control/Defense (Secondary)
2019-	Colorado	Outside Linebackers