Matthew Edward Patricia (born September 13, 1974) is an American football coach who is the head coach of the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). Previously, he served 14 seasons as an assistant coach with the New England Patriots, including six seasons as the team's defensive coordinator from 2012 to 2017. Patricia played college football at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), where he was a four-year letterman as an offensive lineman.
Patricia played at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) where he was a four-year letterman as a center and guard with the Engineers football team from 1992 to 1995. He received a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Engineering from RPI in 1996.
Patricia remained at RPI to begin his coaching career as a graduate assistant in 1996. He spent the next two years as an application engineer with Hoffman Air & Filtration Systems in East Syracuse, New York. After graduating, Patricia received an offer to maintain nuclear submarines and aircraft carriers with the Westinghouse Electric Company, but decided to return to football as the defensive line coach for Amherst College from 1999 to 2000. In 2001, he moved to Syracuse University as an offensive graduate assistant for the team, a position he held for three seasons.