The European League of Football (ELF) has announced their newest franchise, Switzerland’s Helvetic Guards, have hired former NCAA, NFL, and XFL offensive coordinator Norm Chow as the team’s head coach for their 2023 season.
Chow brings over 50 years of coaching experience to Europe from every level of football, having spent time in various coaching positions with BYU, NC State, USC, the Tennessee Titans, UCLA, Utah, Hawaii (HC), and most recently, the XFL’s Los Angeles Wildcats in 2020.
Along the way, he’s won 3 National Championships (BYU in 1984, USC in 2003 & 2004), earned National Assistant Coach of the Year by Athlon (1993), NCAA Division I-A Offensive Coordinator of the Year by American Football Monthly twice (1996, 2002), National Assistant Coach of the Year by the American Football Foundation (1999), and the Broyles Award (Nation’s top assistant coach) (2002).
Over his years in the college ranks, Chow had his hand in the career of multiple Heisman Trophy winners and six first-round NFL Draft picks, including Hall of Famer Steve Young, Super Bowl Champion Jim McMahon, Phillip Rivers, Reggie Bush, Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, Matt Cassel, Marc Wilson, and Ty Detmer.
At the NFL level, he’d help guide Vince Young to earn Offensive Rookie of the Year and a Pro Bowl appearance. Most recently, Chow helped Pro Football Journeyman Josh Johnson get from the XFL’s Wildcats in 2020 back to the NFL Ranks.
Chow and the Helvetic Guards will begin the process of evaluating players for the 2023 season this October, starting with a trip to Zurich to evaluate prospects at the team’s official combine.
