Completed Event: Football versus #17 Kansas State on August 23, 2025 , Win , 24, to, 21
Final
Football
24
#17 Kansas State
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Iowa State University Athletics
Football
Bonamego, John
John Bonamego
- Title:
- Senior Special Teams Analyst
- Email:
- bono@iastate.edu
John Bonamego, who has 34 years of coaching experience, including stints at six NFL teams as a special teams coordinator or assistant, joined the Cyclone staff in 2022 as a Senior Special Teams Analyst.
In 2022, Iowa State was the only team in the nation with a true freshman kicker and punter. Punter Tyler Perkins earned Second Team Freshman All-America honors from The Athletic and ISU's punt return defense ranked seventh nationally and first in the Big 12 allowing just 2.64 yards per return.
Bonamego most recently worked with Los Angeles Rams as the special teams coordinator in 2020 and as a senior coaching assistant for the Super Bowl champions in 2021.
Bonamego’s coaching career spans five decades beginning in 1988 as an assistant at Maine.
Considered a special teams innovator, he started his NFL coaching career in 1999. In all, Bonamego has worked as either a special teams assistant or coordinator for six different NFL teams: Jacksonville Jaguars (1999-2002, 2012), Green Bay Packers (2003-05), New Orleans Saints (2006-07, 2011), Miami Dolphins (2008-10), Detroit Lions (2013-14, 2019) and Los Angeles Rams (2020).
Special Teams Coaching Highlights
- Detroit Lion Jamal Agnew was the only player in the NFL to record a kickoff and punt return for a touchdown in 2019.
- Detroit Lion punter Sam Martin recorded the top-two single-season marks for net punting in 2013 (40.4) and 2014 (40.1).
- Jacksonville Jaguar punter Bryan Anger set a franchise record and led all rookie punters in punting average (47.8) in 2012.
- Miami Dolphin kicker Dan Carpenter was selected to the 2009 Pro Bowl after making 25 of 28 field goals.
- The 2004 Green Bay Packers had four game-winning field goals, the most by the team since 1970.
Bonamego, who earned his degree from Central Michigan in 1987, was the head coach at his alma mater from 2015-18. He led the Chippewas to three bowl games from 2015-17, including a share of the Mid-American West Division title in 2015.
His 2016 team upset No. 22 Oklahoma State in Stillwater.
Bonamego was also an assistant at Army from 1993-98, helping the Black Knights record a 10-2 record and appear in the final AP Top 25 poll in 1996.
Bonamego and his wife, Paulette, have three children: Javier, Giovanni and Bellina.
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Matt Campbell Postgame Arkansas State 9_13_25 Interview
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