Steve Wisniewski (born April 7, 1967), nicknamed "the Wiz", is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

player who was an

offensive guard Offensive may refer to: * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Offensive (military), an attack * Offensive language ** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict inj ...

for 13 seasons in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL) with the

Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders The Los Angeles Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Los Angeles from 1982 to 1994 before relocating back to Oakland, California, where the team played from its inaugural 1960 season to the 1981 season and then aga ...

, and later served as the team's assistant offensive line coach. He was drafted by the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...

in the second round of the

1989 NFL Draft The 1989 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 23–24, 1989, at the Marriott Marq ...

, but his playing rights were traded to the Raiders during the same draft. 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 ...

for the

Penn State Nittany Lions The Penn State Nittany Lions are the athletic teams of Pennsylvania State University, except for the women's basketball team, known as the Lady Lions. The school colors are navy blue and white. The school mascot is the Nittany Lion. The interco ...

Early years

Wisniewski was standout

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

Penn State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a public state-related land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvania. Founded in 1855 as the Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania, Penn State became ...

. He was twice named

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 ...

(1987 and 1988). He was a key contributor on the

Nittany Lions The Penn State Nittany Lions are the athletic teams of Pennsylvania State University, except for the women's basketball team, known as the Lady Lions. The school colors are navy blue and white. The school mascot is the Nittany Lion. The interc ...

national championship team in 1986. He capped his senior season by playing in the

Hula Bowl The Hula Bowl is a post-season college football all-star game held annually, usually in January. From inception through the 2021 playing, it was held in Hawaii; since the 2022 edition, it has been played in Orlando, Florida. The game was first st ...

and the Japan Bowl. He earned a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

marketing Marketing is the process of exploring, creating, and delivering value to meet the needs of a target market in terms of goods and services; potentially including selection of a target audience; selection of certain attributes or themes to emph ...

in 1989.

Professional career

Wisniewski was selected in the second round (#29 overall) of the

by the

. He was then immediately traded to the

Los Angeles Raiders The Los Angeles Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Los Angeles from 1982 to 1994 before relocating back to Oakland, California, where the team played from its inaugural 1960 season to the 1981 season and then agai ...

along with a sixth round pick (#140-

Jeff Francis Jeffrey William Francis (born January 8, 1981) is a Canadian former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Colorado Rockies, Kansas City Royals, Cincinnati Reds, Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees, and ...

), in exchange for a second round choice (#39-

Daryl Johnston Daryl Peter "Moose" Johnston (born February 10, 1966) is a former fullback in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at Syracuse University. He was the General Manager of the San Antonio Commanders of t ...

), a third round choice (#68-

Rhondy Weston Rhondy Weston (born June 7, 1966) is a former football defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He played college football at the University of Florida. The Dallas Cowboys selected him in the third rou ...

) and a fifth round choice (#119- Willis Crockett). He would play all of his 13 seasons in the league with the Raiders. "Wiz" became the standout Guard of the 1990s and made the

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

8 times in his career tying him at the time of his retirement with

Art Shell Arthur Lee Shell Jr. (born November 26, 1946) is an American former professional football player in the American Football League (AFL) and later in the National Football League (NFL), a Hall of Fame offensive tackle and a two-time former head ...

Howie Long Howard Matthew Moses Long (born January 6, 1960) is an American sports analyst and former professional football player. He played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons as a defensive end, spending his entire career with the Raide ...

, and

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(Who would later surpass him) for most by a Raider. He was also named to the

NFL 1990s All-Decade Team The NFL 1990s All-Decade Team was chosen by voters of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The team was composed of outstanding performers in the National Football League in the 1990s. The squad consists of first- and second-team offensive, defensive a ...

and was a first team All-Pro twice. Missed only 2 regular season starts in 13-year career due to injury. On January 27, 2011 it was announced that Wisniewski would be returning to the Oakland Raiders as an assistant offensive line coach under new head coach

Hue Jackson Hue Jackson (born October 22, 1965) is an American football coach who is the head football coach at Grambling State University. An offensive assistant at both the collegiate and professional levels, he held coordinator positions in the Nationa ...

, new offensive coordinator

Al Saunders Alan Keith Saunders (born February 1, 1947) is an American football coach who most recently served as the senior offensive assistant for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). Personal life Saunders was born in the north Lo ...

and new offensive line coach

Bob Wylie Robert "Bob" Wylie (born February 16, 1951) is an American football coach who is currently the offensive line coach for the Vegas Vipers of the XFL. Prior to this, he served as the offensive line coach for the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Foo ...

. He was thrilled by saying "I'm back to my first love, the Oakland Raiders and working with the Offensive Line. I’m a Raider for life. I can help in technique, help in mindset and attitude and really push these young men to develop and to be the heartbeat of the team." Wisniewski said via the Raiders website. He also said in a statement that "I’m thrilled to be working in the building again for the Silver and Black and helping to shape the future of the offensive line." He and Wylie replaced Chris Morgan and Jim Michalczik, who were not retained for the 2011 season. Following the death of Raiders owner

Al Davis Allen Davis (July 4, 1929 – October 8, 2011) was an American football coach and executive. He was the principal owner and general manager of the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League (NFL) for 39 years, from 1972 until his death in ...

in October 2011, Jackson's firing the following January and the hirings of new general manager Reggie McKenzie and new head coach Dennis Allen, Wisniewski, one of the few coaches retained by the new regime, was slated to assist under new offensive line coach Frank Pollack. However, right before the start of training camp in July 2012, it was announced that Wisniewski had resigned for "personal reasons" but would remain with the club as an ambassador.

Personal life

Wisniewski lives in Austin, Texas and maintains an association with the Raiders. He spent one year at Stanford University, helping coach the offensive line on a team that reached the Orange Bowl Wisniewski is a born-again Christian and currently volunteers at The Well Christian Community Church in

Dublin, California Dublin (formerly, Dougherty, Alameda County, California, Amador and Dougherty's Station) is a suburban city of the East Bay in California. It is located within the Amador Valley of Alameda County, California, Alameda County's Tri-Valley region. ...

, the church founded by fellow ex-Raider,

Napoleon Kaufman Napoleon "Nip" Kaufman (born June 7, 1973) is a former American football player and currently an ordained minister and head football coach at Bishop O'Dowd High School in Oakland, California. He is a former NFL running back, playing for the ...

. In 2004, Wisniewski was inducted into the National Polish American Sports Hall of Fame. His brother, Leo, was a three-time letterman for the Penn State football team (1979–1981). Wisniewski's nephew (Leo's son), Stefen, was a guard/center on the Penn State team & had a standout career there. The Oakland Raiders picked him 48th pick in the

2011 NFL Draft The 2011 NFL Draft was the 76th installment of the annual NFL Draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players. Like the 2010 draft, the 2011 draft was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York C ...

, and on April 18, 2015 he signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He played with the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...

and

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...

and started at left guard for both teams as they went on to win

Super Bowl LII Super Bowl LII was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2017 season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion Philadelphia Eagles defeated the American Football Conferen ...

and

Super Bowl LIV Super Bowl LIV was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2019 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion Kansas City Chiefs defeated the National Football Conferenc ...

References

External links

Steve Wisniewski Raiders Coach biographyWhere Are They now?: Steve Wisniewski
raidersonline.com
Steve Wisniewski testimony
tothenextlevel.org
Old-school Wiz is part of Raiders history

Jon Gruden Jon David Gruden (born August 17, 1963) is a former American professional football coach who was a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons. He held his first head coaching position with the Raiders franchise during thei ...

column on www.nfl.com
''Nasty Boys: Football's Felonious 15''
cnnsi.com, 1997 {{DEFAULTSORT:Wisniewski, Steve 1967 births Living people People from Rutland (city), Vermont Penn State Nittany Lions football players Oakland Raiders players Los Angeles Raiders players American football offensive linemen American Conference Pro Bowl players American people of Polish descent Oakland Raiders coaches