Peter Vaas

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Peter Vaas is an American football coach and former quarterback, born April 26, 1952, in Westwood, Massachusetts. Over a long career, he has coached at colleges, in NFL Europe, and in other professional settings. He later moved into football officiating and now works in replay review for top college football conferences. He also owns Everything Football, LLC.

Playing career
Vaas played quarterback at the College of the Holy Cross from 1971 to 1973. He arrived as a walk-on and became a three-year starter, setting several school passing records. His Holy Cross career included 2,642 passing yards and 21 touchdown passes.

Coaching career highlights
- Allegheny College: Began as an assistant (1974–1978). Returned as head coach (1986–1989), leading the Gators to back-to-back North Coast Athletic Conference titles (1987–1988) and earning conference Coach of the Year honors. His Allegheny record was 29–11–1.
- Holy Cross: Head coach from 1992 to 1995, compiling a 14–30 record. The 1992 season was his best at Holy Cross, finishing second in the Patriot League.
- Early stops and teams abroad: He coached at several programs, including Notre Dame (running backs coach in 1990 and quarterbacks coach in 1991), and later served as offensive coordinator for the Montreal Alouettes in the CFL.
- NFL Europe and World Bowl success: Vaas moved to NFL Europe, working with the Barcelona Dragons as QB/WR coach (1998–1999), then becoming head coach of the Berlin Thunder (2000–2003). He guided Berlin to two World Bowl appearances, winning World Bowl IX (2001) and World Bowl X (2002). He was named NFL Europe Coach of the Year in 2002. He later led the Cologne Centurions as head coach (2004–2005).
- Later college and pro roles: He returned to Notre Dame as a quarterback coach in 2005, then coached at Duke as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2007. He spent 2009 as an offensive coordinator and tight ends coach at Miami (OH), and 2010–2011 with South Florida as quarterbacks coach, followed by a 2012 stint as tight ends coach. In 2020, he was the offensive coordinator for Team 9 in the XFL, and in 2020–present he has been with The Spring League as head coach of the Alphas.

Current roles and other work
As of 2022, Vaas serves as the assistant supervisor for replay in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Before that, he was an ACC instant replay official and also supervised replay for Colonial, Ivy, and Patriot League games since 2020. He also officiated the 2022 national championship game between Georgia and Alabama and previously worked in the AAC as a replay official (2014–2019). He is the owner of Everything Football, LLC.

Head coaching record (highlights)
- Allegheny College (1986–1989): 29–11–1 overall; NCAC champions in 1987 and 1988; Coach of the Year honors in both years.
- Holy Cross (1992–1995): 14–30 overall.
- Overall college head coaching record: 43–41–1 (combining Allegheny and Holy Cross).
- NFL Europe head coaches: Berlin Thunder (2000–2003) 21–21 overall with two World Bowl titles (IX in 2001, X in 2002) and 2002 NFL Europe Coach of the Year; Cologne Centurions (2004–2005) 10–10 overall.

Peter Vaas has had a long and varied career as a player, coach, and official, with notable successes in college programs and in NFL Europe, as well as a continuing role in football officiating and administration.