Rayna Stewart enters his third season with the Packers and his first season as the team's assistant special teams coach, having been promoted to his current position on March 1, 2021. Stewart arrived in Green Bay with a wealth of experience, having played and coached across numerous levels of football including the NFL, college and high school.
Last season, Stewart (first name is pronounced ruh-NAY) worked with K Mason Crosby, who became the first Packer and just the sixth NFL player since 1932 to record a perfect field-goal percentage in a season (min. one FG attempt per team game) by connecting on all 16 of his FG attempts. Crosby finished the season with an active streak of 18 converted FG attempts dating back to the 2019 season, the third-longest streak in franchise history.
In 2019, Stewart was part of a staff that saw Crosby tie the single-season franchise record for field-goal percentage, a mark he bested during the 2020 season, by connecting on 22 of 24 attempts (91.7 pct.) and matching K Jan Stenerud's mark set in 1981 (22 of 24). Crosby ranked No. 5 in the league in FG percentage, the highest ranking by a Green Bay kicker since Ryan Longwell in 2003 (No. 4). P JK Scott posted 29 punts inside the 20 in '19, which ranked No. 9 in the NFL and was the most by a Packer since Tim Masthay recorded 30 in 2012.
Stewart spent four seasons (2015-18) at Vanderbilt, first as director of player development (2015-17) and then as special teams quality control coach (2018). As director of player development, he served as a mentor for players and oversaw a number of programs that helped the student-athletes transition from high school to college, obtain summer internships, engage with the community and prepare for post-graduate life. In 2018, Stewart helped punter Parker Thome rank fourth in the SEC with an average of 44.9 yards per punt, tied for the fourth-highest punting average in school history.
Prior to joining the Commodores, Stewart worked for two years as a teacher and head football coach at Whites Creek (Tenn.) High School. Stewart also served as a teacher and coach at Battle Ground Academy in nearby Franklin, Tenn., for two years before leading the Whites Creek staff.
From 2009-10, Stewart worked with the Tennessee Titans' linebackers and defensive line as a defensive quality control coach. He helped DEs Kyle Vanden Bosch and Jason Babin earn Pro Bowl honors in 2009 and 2010, respectively.
Before coaching for the Titans, Stewart worked as a graduate assistant at Northwestern University (2007-08), athletic director/head coach at Chicago (Ill.) Hope Academy (2005-06), assistant coach at Centennial (Tenn.) High School (2001-04) and training-camp intern with the Indianapolis Colts (2004).
Stewart played collegiately at Northern Arizona University, where he was a two-time All-American cornerback and set the school record for passes defensed in a season, posting 19 in both 1994 and 1995. He was selected in the fifth round (No. 143 overall) of the 1996 NFL Draft by the Houston Oilers and played in 71 career games as a defensive back for the Oilers (1996-97), Miami Dolphins (1998) and Jacksonville Jaguars (1999-2000). He finished his NFL career with 77 tackles (59 solo), four fumble recoveries, two INTs and a half-sack.
A native of Chatsworth, Calif., Stewart earned a bachelor's degree in advertising from Northern Arizona and a master's degree in education administration from Tennessee State.
Stewart was born June 18, 1973. He and his wife, Sonia, have four children: ShaRae, Tre, Mycah and Jadyn.
