Following a 12-year NFL career that included a Super Bowl title, Todd Lyght set out to forge a life after football.
The two-time all-American at Notre Dame worked several years as a radio analyst, then decided to try his hand in business and became co-owner of a national pizzeria chain. More recently, he helped run a restaurant and night club in southern California.
In 2009, the football bug bit again, and Lyght took his first coaching job, as the defensive backs assistant at Bishop Gorman High in Las Vegas. The 1999 Super Bowl champion and All-Pro for the St. Louis Rams had found his calling.
“Within one week of it,” Lyght said, “I knew that’s what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.”
After two years at Bishop Gorman that included a 28-2 record and two state titles, Lyght this spring joined the Oregon football staff as a defensive intern. In past years, someone with Lyght’s football background would have been an obvious candidate to be a graduate assistant, a position that allows coaching, and which is currently open at Oregon. However, a recent NCAA rule prevents those positions from going to coaches more than seven years after their undergraduate graduation.
Thus, there are limitations on the duties Lyght, a 1991 first-round pick by the Rams who played 10 years in St. Louis, can perform at Oregon. But for a guy just setting out on his coaching career, working with the Ducks is as much about Lyght’s educational experience as it is what he can bring to the team.
“Chip Kelly and his staff are, I feel, one of the elite staffs in the country,” said Lyght, who finished his NFL career with 37 interceptions. “To come to Oregon and learn about their philosophy, the way they do things, is a great opportunity.”
