Marcus Peters was an enigma with the Chiefs. He’s now a high school head coach
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- Marcus Peters named McClymonds head coach, replacing his retiring father.
- Peters brings nine-year NFL career and 2015 Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.
- Program continuity after father's 33-year tenure and five state titles.
When Marcus Peters was arguing with coaches and leaving the sideline of an NFL game, Chiefs fans may not have envisioned a man who would lead young student-athletes as a coach.
But that’s exactly what he has been doing for the past few years.
The former Kansas City first-round cornerback played his last NFL season in 2023 with the Las Vegas Raiders, the end of his nine-year career. He spent the next two years as a volunteer assistant coach under his father, Michael Peters, at his alma mater of McClymonds High School in Oakland, California.
And on March 20, the younger Peters was named the program’s new head coach. He replaced his retiring father, who was with the program for 33 years and spent the least 13 as head coach, the Oakland Unified School District announced.
Peters, 33, takes over after his father’s successful tenure; the elder Peters led the program to five state titles and went 142-24 as head coach. The storied program has also advanced to nine straight Northern California title games, with seven wins, and claimed 12 consecutive Oakland Athletic League trophies.
Peters, a 2011 McClymonds graduate, was MVP of the Oakland Athletic League his senior year and went on to play at Washington before having memorable stints with the Chiefs, Los Angeles Rams, Baltimore Ravens and Raiders.
In his three seasons with Kansas City, from 2015-17, the 15th overall pick was named Defensive Rookie of the Year and helped the Chiefs be among the best defenses in points allowed in 2015 and 2016. He was traded to the Rams before the 2018 season.
Peters’ volatile personality consistently saw him draw penalties, suspensions and fines throughout his college and pro career.
But Peters has always owned who he is, now using his exuberant personality on his own podcast and in coaching.
