Pierson Olin Prioleau EER-sun PRAY-low(born August 6, 1977) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to risk management, the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are ...

. He was drafted by the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

in the fourth round of the

1999 NFL Draft The 1999 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 17–18, 1999, at the Theater at M ...

. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

Virginia Tech Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also ...

and is currently on the coaching staff. He received a degree from

in interdisciplinary studies, graduating on May 14, 2011. Pierson served as the director of player development - defense under

Justin Fuente Justin James Fuente (born July 30, 1976) is a former American football coach and player. He was the head football coach at Virginia Tech from 2016 to 2021. He was the 2016 ACC Coach of the Year. Fuente was the head football coach at the Universit ...

from 2019–2021. Upon the hiring of Brent Pry as the new head coach for the

Hokies The Virginia Tech Hokies are the athletic teams representing the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) in intercollegiate athletics. The Hokies participate in the NCAA's Division I Atlantic Coast Conference in 22 va ...

, Pierson was promoted to an on-field position as the Safeties coach, replacing fellow Hokie Justin Hamilton. Prioleau has also played for the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...

, and

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

College career

Prioleau played

. As a freshman, he appeared in 11 games on

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

and as a reserve

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create tur ...

and finished that season with 24 tackles (15 solo). As a sophomore, he started every game at rover position, appeared in 809 total plays and finished with 71 tackles (41 solo). As a junior, he was named first-team All-

Big East The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference that competes in NCAA Division I in ten men's sports and twelve women's sports. Headquartered in New York City, the eleven full-member schools are primarily located in Northeast and ...

and third-team

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

by ''

Sporting News The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...

''. He posted 81 tackles (41 solo) and two sacks that year. As a senior, he started every game for the defense that led the Big East with only 12.9 points per game allowed. He finished with 61 tackles (41 solo) and two interceptions.

Professional career

San Francisco 49ers

Prioleau was drafted in the

by the

. While with the 49ers for the 1999 and 2000 seasons, Prioleau started 11 of 28 games he played in as a safety and corner, accumulating 81 tackles and one interception.

Buffalo Bills

Prioleau signed with the

on November 7, 2001, but was inactive for first three games after joining the team. Prioleau was impressive when he saw action in the final six games. In his first full season with the Bills in

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

, Prioleau started all 16 games at free safety for the first time in his NFL career. He finished fifth on the team with a career-best 86 tackles and also had 10 stops on special teams. In 2003, Prioleau appeared in all 16 games with six starts in his second full season in Buffalo. He posted 37 tackles, .5 sacks, four quarterback pressures and one forced fumble. In 2004, Prioleau played in all 16 games with two starts in final season with Buffalo. He totaled 37 tackles on the year.

Washington Redskins

In his first season with the

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

, Prioleau played in 15 games, had 43 tackles, three sacks, and a forced fumble. On opening day

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

, while playing in a game versus the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...

, Prioleau injured himself during the opening

kickoff Kickoff or kick-off may refer to * Kick-off (association football) * Kickoff (gridiron football) * ''Kick Off'' (series), a series of computer association football games * ''Kick Off'' (album), a 1985 album by Onyanko Club * ''Kick Off'' (magaz ...

and spent the rest of the season on

Injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

Jacksonville Jaguars

On April 29, 2008, Prioleau signed with the

New Orleans Saints

Prioleau signed a one-year deal with the

on March 26, 2009. He re-signed with the Saints on March 5, 2010 and again on July 29, 2011. He was released on September 3, 2011.

Personal life

Prioleau and his wife, Alicia, have three sons: Pierson Jalen (P.J.), Parker Jayden and Pace Jordan. Prioleau is currently an assistant coach with the Virginia Tech football team, presiding over the

Safeties Safety is the condition of being protected against harmful conditions or events, or the control of hazards to reduce risk. Safety may also refer to: Places * Safety Island, Antarctica Government * The Internet Stopping Adults Facilitating the ...

unit.

References

External links

New Orleans Saints bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Prioleau, Pierson 1977 births Living people Sportspeople from Charleston, South Carolina Players of American football from South Carolina African-American players of American football American football linebackers American football safeties Virginia Tech Hokies football players San Francisco 49ers players Buffalo Bills players Washington Redskins players Jacksonville Jaguars players New Orleans Saints players 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American sportspeople African-American coaches of American football Coaches of American football from South Carolina High school football coaches in Virginia Virginia Tech Hokies football coaches