Paul Guenther (American football)

In 1997, he was named head coach of his alma mater. He was the first Ursinus alumni to coach the school's football team since Ray Gurzynski in 1959 and at the age of 25, was the youngest head football coach at an NCAA college. He compiled a 25–18 record over his four seasons as head coach. Guenther announced his resignation on November 29, 2000, citing he and school president John Strassburger's "different expectations for the program." His .581 winning percentage was the third best in school history.^[2]

After leaving Ursinus, Guenther spent one season as the defensive backs coach at West Texas State.^[3]

Guenther was hired by the Washington Redskins as an offensive assistant in 2002. He assisted wide receivers coach Steve Spurrier Jr. and prepared a weekly scouting report on the next opponent's defense.^[3]

In 2004, Guenther was hired by the Cincinnati Bengals as an advance scout. He also assisted wide receivers coach Hue Jackson during training camp. He had previously worked with head coach Marvin Lewis in Washington.^[4] He was a special teams and defensive assistant from 2006 to 2014, when he was promoted to defensive coordinator after Mike Zimmer left to become head coach of the Minnesota Vikings.^[5]

In 2018, Guenther was hired by the Oakland Raiders as their defensive coordinator serving under head coach Jon Gruden. On December 13, 2020, Guenther was fired by the Raiders following a 44–27 loss against the Indianapolis Colts.

On February 10, 2021, Guenther was hired by the Minnesota Vikings as a senior defensive assistant, reuniting with head coach Mike Zimmer.^[6]

Guenther was hired by the New England Patriots as a senior defensive assistant.

On February 16, 2024, Guenther was hired by the Dallas Cowboys to serve as the team's defensive run game coordinator.^[7]

On March 6, 2025, Guenther was hired by UNLV as their associate head coach. He assumed defensive coordinator duties for the 2025 season on an interim basis following Zach Arnett's resignation.