Peter Vaas - Assistant Coach - Football Coaches

Peter Vaas

Title:
Assistant Coach
Email:
dukefootball@duaa.duke.edu
Phone:
(919) 684-2635

Peter Vaas, a former head coach in NFL Europe, begins his first year with Duke coaching staff and will serve as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

In 2007, Vaas will oversee the development of sophomore quarterbacks Thaddeus Lewis and Zack Asack. Last season, Lewis was named honorable mention Freshman All-America by The Sporting News after throwing for 2,134 yards to rank fourth on the ACC’s single-season chart for passing yards by a freshman. Lewis finished the year ranked fifth in the ACC in passing yards per game (177.8) and sixth in total offense (171.7) and also threw four touchdown passes versus North Carolina in the regular season finale, matching the second-best single-game performance in Blue Devil history. Asack earned honorable mention Freshman All-America honors in 2005 after throwing for 966 yards with five touchdowns in nine contests. He finished the year ranked seventh nationally among rookie quarterbacks in passing yardage.

Vaas spent the 2005 and 2006 seasons as the quarterbacks coach at Notre Dame, helping the Irish to a 19-6 record with consecutive BCS bowl game appearances ? Fiesta & Sugar. He coached record-setting All-America quarterback Brady Quinn, who won the Maxwell Trophy and Johnny Unitas Award in 2006 after throwing for 3,426 yards and 37 touchdowns. Quinn, also the recipient of the Cingular All-America Player of the Year award, twice was named Notre Dame’s MVP and finished his career with school records of 11,762 passing yards and 95 touchdown passes.

Vaas served six seasons as a head coach in NFL Europe, guiding the Berlin Thunder (21-21 overall record from 2000-03) to World Bowl championships in 2001 and 2002 while earning the league’s Coach of the Year honor in 2002. He then directed the Cologne Centurions (2004-05) for two seasons, compiling a 10-10 overall record. He also served two seasons (1998-99) as an assistant coach for the Barcelona Dragons, helping the team to an 11-9 ledger and a berth in the 1999 World Bowl.

Prior to his coaching stints in NFL Europe, Vaas was the offensive coordinator for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League in 1996. That season, Montreal led the CFL in rushing and fewest turnovers and posted a 12-6 regular season ledger.

Vaas, a 1974 graduate of Holy Cross, returned to his alma mater as head football coach and registered a 14-30 overall record from 1992-95. He served under head coach Lou Holtz on the Notre Dame staff in 1990 (running backs) and 1991 (quarterbacks). In that two-year span, the Fighting Irish went 19-6, defeated seven top-25 opponents and played in the Orange and Sugar Bowls. The 1991 squad established a school regular season record by totaling 426 points by eclipsing the 40-point barrier in six games.

Vaas spent the previous four seasons as head football coach at Allegheny College where he compiled a 29-11-1 record from 1986-89. He guided the Gators to North Coast Athletic Conference titles in 1987 and 1988, earning league Coach of the Year honors in both of those seasons.

Prior to taking the head coaching job at Allegheny College, Vaas was a member of the coaching staff at New Hampshire as the offensive backfield coach from 1979-82 and later offensive coordinator from 1983-85. Vaas got his start in coaching at Allegheny College where he spent five seasons (1974-78) as an assistant coach.

A native of Westwood, Mass., Vaas was a three-year starter at quarterback at Holy Cross. He was enshrined into the Westwood High School Hall of Fame in 1992 and was inducted into Allegheny’s Hall of Fame in 1999.

Vaas and his wife Rosann have two daughters, Katelyn and Kelly.