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Former UW Receiver Sanjay Lal Lands Job with 8th NFL Franchise

He's gone from little-used pass-catcher to respected assistant coach.
Dan Raley|
Former UW Receiver Sanjay Lal Lands Job with 8th NFL Franchise
Former UW Receiver Sanjay Lal Lands Job with 8th NFL Franchise

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Washington Huskies

Sanjay Lal played in a handful of games as a University of Washington wide receiver for the 1991 national championship team, but he's had no trouble finding work in the NFL and showing the pros how it's done. 

On Wednesday, new Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh revealed his staff, which includes Lal, who joins his eighth NFL franchise as a receivers coach covering 17 seasons.

Lal, 54, was a member of two Husky Rose Bowl teams and that national championship entry coached by Don James in 1990-91, coming to the UW as a walk-on and a transfer from UCLA.

A little undersized at 5-foot-11 and 175 pounds, this Indian-American man who was born in London was just looking for a chance to play somewhere. 

"I didn't come here because it was easier, but they seem to treat walk-ons better,'' Lal told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer at the time. "At UCLA, they said they had nine scholarship receivers and they didn't need me. Here, I'm sure it's the same, but they said I'd get a shot.''

While he drew late-game snaps in blowouts against Toledo, Arizona, Arizona State, Kansas State and Washington State, UW receivers such as record-setting Mario Bailey and starter Orlando McKay learned some things from him about route-running and he turned his experiences into coaching knowledge. He had multiple NFL opportunities, even one in NFL Europe, but was always injured.

Known as a cerebral, technique-oriented coach, Lal worked his way up the ranks through a series of high school and college jobs before the Oakland Raiders hired him in 2007.

He followed with stops with the New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, Indianapolis Colts, Dallas Cowboys, Jacksonville Jaguars and Seattle Seahawks, all as a receivers coach, before Harbaugh added him to his staff. He comes with solid references.

"He's always pushed me every day, he always takes care of me when I need an extra breather, or break, or anytime I'm frustrated on the sideline, he's always somebody who talks to me," Seahawks standout receiver DK Metcalf told Seahawks.com. "Or calms me down, or tells me the next play or to keep my head up or stay in the game. He's just been more than a coach for me."

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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