Entering his 19th season as a coach in the NFL, Kirk Olivadotti begins his third year with the Packers in 2021 as the club's inside linebackers coach.
Named to his position on Jan. 24, 2019, by Head Coach Matt LaFleur, Olivadotti (ah-luh-vuh-DOT-ee) came to Green Bay after spending 16 seasons with the Washington Football Team (2000-10, 2014-18). He is one of 11 members on the team's assistant coach honor roll, which recognizes coaches with 10-plus seasons of service as an assistant in Washington. Olivadotti served as the inside linebackers coach at the University of Georgia from 2011-13.
In 2020, Olivadotti relied on significant contributions from a pair of rookie linebackers, Krys Barnes and Kamal Martin, as they combined to appear in 23 games with 16 starts. Barnes, undrafted out of UCLA, played in 13 games with 10 starts, leading NFL undrafted rookies with 78 total tackles (47 solo) and five tackles for a loss. He also started both of the team's playoff games, leading the Packers with 13 postseason tackles. Barnes became just the third undrafted player since 2000 to record 75-plus tackles as a rookie (Paul Worrilow and Joplo Bartu, 2013) as he averaged six tackles per game, ranking No. 3 among NFL undrafted rookies since 2000 (min. 40 tackles). He also became the first undrafted rookie LB to start a season opener for the Packers since the 1970 NFL/AFL merger, doing so at Minnesota (Sept. 13, 2020).
Olivadotti's first season in Green Bay in 2019 saw him lead a group that featured LB Blake Martinez, who set the franchise single-season record (since 1975) with 203 tackles (127 solo), eclipsing LB Nick Barnett's mark of 194 tackles in 2005. Additionally, Olivadotti's linebackers helped Green Bay's defense finish No. 9 in the NFL in points allowed (19.6 ppg.), the first time the Packers had finished in the top 10 in the league in the category since 2010.
In 2018, he tutored LB Mason Foster, who led Washington with a career-high 131 tackles (81 solo) and added a career-best two interceptions. Olivadotti also worked with LB Zach Brown, who finished No. 2 on the team with 96 tackles (69 solo), including 10 tackles for a loss, a sack and two forced fumbles. Brown led the team with 127 tackles (84 solo) in 2017, the most by a Washington player since LB London Fletcher in 2012 (139).
In 2016, Olivadotti guided LB Will Compton, who entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2013, to a career-high 104 tackles (60 solo), five passes defensed, two fumble recoveries, a forced fumble and an INT. Foster led the team with 123 tackles (88 solo), while rookie LB Su'a Cravens became the second-youngest player to play in a season opener for Washington (21 days, 67 days old).
In 2015, Olivadotti coached a unit that helped Washington to an NFC East title despite featuring a rotating cast of players due to injuries. Keenan Robinson and Perry Riley Jr. began the season as the starters on the inside, but with both sustaining injuries, Olivadotti developed Compton into a reliable starter as he ranked No. 2 on the club with 93 tackles (51 solo).
In his first season back in Washington in 2014, Olivadotti helped Robinson shine in his first season as a starter. Despite missing three games, Robinson led the team with 108 tackles (70 solo), including a 14-tackle effort vs. Tennessee in Week 7 that earned him NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors.
At Georgia, Olivadotti coached an inside-linebacker group that featured Alec Ogletree, who was selected in the first round (No. 30 overall) by the St. Louis Rams in the 2013 NFL Draft. Olivadotti was part of a staff that helped the Bulldogs win two SEC titles and 30 games during his three seasons at the school. In 2011, Georgia ranked No. 5 in the nation in total defense (277.2 ypg) and No. 15 in scoring defense (19.2 ppg).
During Olivadotti's initial 11-season stint with Washington (2000-10), the team finished in the top 10 in the NFL in overall defense eight times (2000-02, 2004-05, 2007-09) and allowed 313.1 yards per game over that span (No. 7 in the NFL).
In 2009, Olivadotti tutored a pair of linebackers to their first career Pro Bowls, with Fletcher earning the honor for the first time in his 12 years in the league and Brian Orakpo becoming the first Washington defensive rookie to be selected since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. Fletcher led the team with 172 tackles (108 solo), while Orakpo set a team rookie record with 11 sacks, which led all NFL rookies in 2009 and was tied for the most among NFC linebackers with Cowboys LB DeMarcus Ware.
In 2008, Olivadotti's linebackers played a pivotal role in Washington ranking No. 4 in the league in overall defense (288.8 ypg), No. 6 in points allowed (18.5 ppg) and No. 8 in rushing defense (95.4 ypg). In his first season as linebackers coach in 2007, the team finished No. 8 in the NFL in overall defense (305.3 ypg) and No. 4 in rushing defense (91.3 ypg) as the tandem of Fletcher (156) and Rocky McIntosh (105) finished as the team's top tacklers.
In 2006, Olivadotti served as defensive line assistant/special teams assistant for Washington. He also assisted with the special teams in 2004-05 in addition to working as a defensive quality control coach. Olivadotti served as a defensive quality control coach for his first four seasons (2000-03) with the team and also assisted with the defensive backs. He was a part of staffs that helped Washington rank No. 3 in the league in overall defense in 2004 (267.6 ypg, No. 4 in team history), No. 5 in 2002 (299.2 ypg) and No. 4 in 2000 (280.1 ypg).
Olivadotti began his coaching career on the collegiate level in 1997 at Maine Maritime Academy, where he worked with the wide receivers and tight ends for one season. He then spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Indiana State University (1998-99) before making the transition to the NFL.
Olivadotti was a four-year letterwinner as a wide receiver at Purdue from 1993-96. His father, Tom, was a defensive assistant coach in the NFL for 21 seasons with the Cleveland Browns (1985-86), Miami Dolphins (1987-95), Minnesota Vikings (1996-99), N.Y. Giants (2000-03) and Houston Texans (2004-05). He also was the defensive coordinator for the University of Miami in 1983 when the Hurricanes won their first national title.
Born Jan. 1, 1974, in Wilmington, Del., Olivadotti earned his bachelor's degree in education and his master's degree in education administration, both from Purdue. He and his wife, Keely, have a daughter, Kasyn, and a son, Kruz.
