Bringing more than 25 years of coaching experience in the collegiate and professional ranks, John Garrett has been named the Fred M. Kirby II '42 Head Football Coach at Lafayette College, it was announced on Wednesday evening.

"We are elated to have John Garrett join our community as the 28th head coach of the storied Lafayette football program," said Lafayette Director of Athletics Bruce McCutcheon. "John has highly successful experiences in the NFL as well as at institutions that expect excellence in the classroom and on the football field. His passion for teaching and mentoring young men while competing for championships is clearly evident. Football runs deep in the Garrett family, and we are excited to put him at the head of our football family."

During the 2016 season, Garrett was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the University of Richmond which posted a 10-4 record and advanced to the NCAA FCS Playoff quarterfinals under Danny Rocco. Richmond averaged 28.6 points and 410 yards of total offense per game, both second-best in the 12-team Colonial Athletic Association. Garrett's pro-style passing offense led the CAA with 271.5 yards per game.

"I am delighted to welcome Coach Garrett to the Lafayette family," said College President Alison Byerly. "He brings an outstanding record of success on the field, and just as importantly, first-hand experience with, and commitment to, the idea that athletic participation is part of the educational experience for our student-athletes."

Garrett spent the 2015 season as a quality control specialist for the offense at the University of Florida and served as the offensive coordinator at Oregon State University during the 2014 season. While at Oregon State, Garrett coached under current Nebraska head man Mike Riley, when OSU averaged nearly 26 points per game and put up 35 in a signature win against a top-10 Arizona State team.

"I am thrilled to become the next head football coach at Lafayette College," Garrett said. "I'd like to thank President Byerly, along with Bruce McCutcheon and Kaity McKittrick and everyone on the search committee for entrusting me to lead the Lafayette Leopards' football program.

"Our goal is to build a team of smart, tough, dependable and talented student-athletes who love football, who want to improve and love to be coached in order to consistently compete for Patriot League championships," Garrett continued. "It's going to take a lot of hard work and teamwork from the entire Lafayette community and I can't wait to get started. Beat Lehigh and Go Leopards."

His most recent NFL coaching assignment was in 2013 as the wide receivers coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was also on the staff for the Dallas Cowboys from 2007-12 where his brother, Jason, is the head coach. Garrett was the Cowboys' tight ends coach for six years and the passing game coordinator for the final two seasons.

Garrett's coaching in the professional ranks followed a playing career in the NFL. He was a member of the practice squad and active roster for the Cincinnati Bengals in 1989, and on the practice squad for the Buffalo Bills in 1991. Garrett also spent training camp with the Cowboys in 1988 and with the Bengals in 1990.

Garrett was born in Danville, Pa., attended high school in Cleveland and lived part of his early years in Monmouth Beach, N.J. He began his coaching career in 1990 as a volunteer at his alma mater, Princeton University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in history in 1988. In 1992, he made the move to the NFL ranks as a personnel assistant, college scout and coaches' assistant for the Buccaneers, a position he held through 1994.

In 1995, he was named the offensive assistant/wide receivers coach with the Bengals, staying with the team through the 1998 season. Garrett was the Arizona Cardinals' quarterbacks coach for the 1999 and 2000 campaigns before returning to the Bengals as an offensive assistant coach in 2001, tight ends coach in 2002 and a scout in 2003.

He re-joined the college ranks in 2004, where for three years he was the University of Virginia's wide receivers coach and in 2006 added the title of assistant head coach for offense. The next season he moved to the Cowboys organization.

Garrett's father, Jim, spent 38 years in the NFL as a scout and assistant coach. His brother, Judd, is the current Director of Pro Scouting for the Cowboys. John and his wife, Honor, have four children (John, Jr., Honor, Olivia and Caroline).