Texas A&M University-Commerce football coach
David Bailiff announced the addition of Ron Vinklarek to the coaching staff as the offensive line coach in February 2022.
Vinklarek brings over 41 years of pro and college football coaching experience to A&M-Commerce, including stops at Rice, Houston, SMU, Oklahoma State, the Buffalo Bills, the Tennessee Titans, the CFL, and the XFL.
"Ron is an excellent Texas high school football recruiter," said Bailiff. "He has worked at all levels of football, from junior college to the NFL. He was Luis Perez's offensive line coach in the XFL."
"We are extremely excited to have a man with his experience joining our coaching staff as we make the transition to Division I."
Vinklarek most recently served as the offensive line coach for the New York Guardians of the now defunct XFL. He worked alongside Lion great and 2017 Harlon Hill Trophy winner Luis Perez, who was a quarterback for the Guardians.
Prior to his brief stint in the XFL, he served on Bailiff's coaching staff at Rice from 2009-17. He mentored three offensive linemen at Rice that earned NFL rookie camp invitations. He was part of the Owls' Conference USA Championship in 2013, the program's first outright conference championship in 56 years.
"I am excited to get to work with the Lion Football program," said Vinklarek. "We're going to be good, better, best, and will not rest until our good gets better and our better is our best."
Vinklarek arrived at Rice after coaching in the Canadian Football League for one season with the Edmonton Eskimos. It was his second stint with a CFL team, having worked with the Birmingham Barracudas as well in 1995.
He coached in the NFL for four seasons prior to his time in the CFL, three with the Buffalo Bills and one with the Tennesse Titans. The Bills' offensive line in 2002 paved the way for a 4,300-yard passing season from Drew Bledsoe, 1,400-yard rushing season for Travis Henry, and 1,200-yard receiving seasons each for Eric Moulds and Peerless Price.
In between his time in Edmonton and Buffalo, Vinklarek was the offensive line coach at SMU from 2004-07. His first college coaching job came at the University of Houston from 1988-93, where he mentored the offensive line that protected Andre Ware during his Heisman Trophy winning campaign in 1989.
He has also coached in the college ranks at Oklahoma State for two seasons, and one season each at Valdosta State and Middle Tenessee State.
Vinklarek broke into the coaching ranks after graduating from Southwest Texas State, now Texas State, as the seventh and eighth grade coach at Hill Country Middle School. From 1983 to 1984, he was the defensive line coach for Spring Branch High School in Houston before becoming the defensive coordinator at Marble Falls High School from 1984-86. He also served as the offensive coordinator at Clear Lake High School, winning the district championship in 1994.
A Flatonia, Texas, native, Vinklarek is married to the former Marianne Britz. The couple have two sons, Trevor and Trent.
