Chris Scelfo
Encyclopedia
Chris Scelfo is an American football
coach, currently serving as the tight ends coach
for the Atlanta Falcons
. He served as head coach at Tulane
from 1998 to 2006, including in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
, and amassed a 37–57 record. Scelfo is the only Tulane head coach to have won two bowl game
s. He previously held assistant coaching positions at Marshall
and Georgia
.
on September 30, 1963. A native of New Iberia, Louisiana
, he attended New Iberia High School. He went on to college at Northeast Louisiana University
. He played football in high school and college, and was a three-year letterwinner at both institutions. In college, he also served as the team captain. Scelfo graduated with a bachelor's degree
from Northeast Louisiana in 1986 and received a master's degree
from there in 1988.
from 1988 to 1989. He then served as the offensive line coach
at Marshall University
from 1990 to 1995, and also held the position of offensive coordinator
in his last three seasons there. Scelfo then spent three seasons at the University of Georgia
as its assistant head coach and offensive coordinator.
Tulane University
in New Orleans
hired Scelfo to replace Tommy Bowden
as its 36th coach mid-season on December 7, 1998. The only game he coached that year was the Liberty Bowl
, where he led the Green Wave
to victory over Brigham Young. With the win, Tulane finished the season with a perfect 12–0 record and the Conference USA
championship. In 2002, Scelfo led Tulane to the 2002 Hawai'i Bowl, where they defeated June Jones
' high-octane Hawaii Warriors
. The Green Wave surprised observers by recovering an onside kick
on the first play of the game, and went on to win, 36–28. The victory made Scelfo the only Tulane coach in history with two bowl game wins.
After Hurricane Katrina
devastated New Orleans in August 2005, the Tulane football team was forced to play all 11 of its games on the road, each in a different city, which may have contributed to the Green Wave's 2–9 record. Ole Miss
head coach Ed Orgeron
contacted a Tulane assistant about players transferring in the wake of the hurricane. Scelfo accused Ole Miss of tampering and said:
investigated the matter and exonerated Ole Miss of any wrongdoing.
After failing to compile a winning season since 2002, Tulane fired Scelfo on November 29, 2006. His final record at Tulane was 37–57. In January 2008, the Atlanta Falcons
of the NFL
hired Scelfo as its tight ends coach
.
at Tulane.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
coach, currently serving as the tight ends coach
Tight ends coach
A tight ends coach is a coach in charge of the tight ends in American football. The tight ends coach typically operates under the team's offensive coordinator....
for the Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He served as head coach at Tulane
Tulane Green Wave football
The Tulane Green Wave football program is an NCAA Division I FBS football team that represents Tulane University in New Orleans. The team is a member of Conference USA and is led by interim head coach Mark Hutson, who took over on October 18, 2011, when fifth-year head coach Bob Toledo resigned...
from 1998 to 2006, including in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
, and amassed a 37–57 record. Scelfo is the only Tulane head coach to have won two bowl game
Bowl game
In North America, a bowl game is commonly considered to refer to one of a number of post-season college football games. Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals and the games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating...
s. He previously held assistant coaching positions at Marshall
Marshall Thundering Herd football
The Marshall Thundering Herd football team is an intercollegiate varsity sports program of Marshall University. The team represents the university as a member of the Conference USA Eastern division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, playing at the Division 1 Bowl Subdivision...
and Georgia
Georgia Bulldogs football
The Georgia Bulldogs football team represents the University of Georgia in football. The Bulldogs are a member of the Southeastern Conference and are frequently a top-25 team. The University of Georgia has had a football team since 1892 and has an all-time record of 738–398–54...
.
Early life
Scelfo was born in Abbeville, LouisianaAbbeville, Louisiana
Abbeville is a town in and the parish seat of Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, United States, 150 miles west of New Orleans. The population was 12,257 at the 2010 census...
on September 30, 1963. A native of New Iberia, Louisiana
New Iberia, Louisiana
New Iberia is a city in and the parish seat of Iberia Parish, Louisiana, United States, 30 miles southeast of Lafayette. In 1900, 6,815 people lived in New Iberia; in 1910, 7,499; and in 1940, 13,747...
, he attended New Iberia High School. He went on to college at Northeast Louisiana University
University of Louisiana at Monroe
The University of Louisiana at Monroe is a coeducational public university in Monroe, Louisiana and part of the University of Louisiana System.-History:...
. He played football in high school and college, and was a three-year letterwinner at both institutions. In college, he also served as the team captain. Scelfo graduated with a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
from Northeast Louisiana in 1986 and received a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
from there in 1988.
Coaching career
Scelfo gained his first coaching experience as a graduate assistant at his alma mater from 1986 to 1987, and then in the same position at the University of OklahomaUniversity of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
from 1988 to 1989. He then served as the offensive line coach
Offensive line coach
The offensive line coach is a coaching position in gridiron football that is in charge of the offensive line. This role is very common in the CFL, NFL, and college football programs. The offensive line coach serves the offense, which is led by the offensive coordinator....
at Marshall University
Marshall University
Marshall University is a coeducational public research university in Huntington, West Virginia, United States founded in 1837, and named after John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States....
from 1990 to 1995, and also held the position of offensive coordinator
Offensive coordinator
An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of a gridiron football team who is in charge of the offense. Generally, along with his defensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
in his last three seasons there. Scelfo then spent three seasons at the University of Georgia
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
as its assistant head coach and offensive coordinator.
Tulane University
Tulane University
Tulane University is a private, nonsectarian research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States...
in New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
hired Scelfo to replace Tommy Bowden
Tommy Bowden
Tommy Bowden is an American football coach who served as the head coach at Clemson University from 1999 until October 13, 2008...
as its 36th coach mid-season on December 7, 1998. The only game he coached that year was the Liberty Bowl
1998 Liberty Bowl
The 1998 AXA/Equitable Liberty Bowl, part of the 1998 bowl game season, took place on December 31, 1998, at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee. The competing teams were the Tulane Green Wave, representing the Conference USA and the , representing the Western Athletic Conference...
, where he led the Green Wave
Tulane Green Wave football
The Tulane Green Wave football program is an NCAA Division I FBS football team that represents Tulane University in New Orleans. The team is a member of Conference USA and is led by interim head coach Mark Hutson, who took over on October 18, 2011, when fifth-year head coach Bob Toledo resigned...
to victory over Brigham Young. With the win, Tulane finished the season with a perfect 12–0 record and the Conference USA
Conference USA
Conference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports...
championship. In 2002, Scelfo led Tulane to the 2002 Hawai'i Bowl, where they defeated June Jones
June Jones
June Sheldon Jones, III is the American football head coach for Southern Methodist University.-Playing career:Jones played the quarterback position on three college teams: Oregon , Hawaii , and Portland State . It is during his time at Portland State that he was introduced to the Run and Shoot...
' high-octane Hawaii Warriors
2002 Hawaii Warriors football team
-Schedule:-2002 Team Players in the NFL:...
. The Green Wave surprised observers by recovering an onside kick
Onside kick
In American and Canadian football, an onside kick is a type of kick used at a kickoff or other free kick, or scrimmage kick or other kick during play, in which the ball is kicked favorably for the kicking team to avoid giving away the ball...
on the first play of the game, and went on to win, 36–28. The victory made Scelfo the only Tulane coach in history with two bowl game wins.
After Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
devastated New Orleans in August 2005, the Tulane football team was forced to play all 11 of its games on the road, each in a different city, which may have contributed to the Green Wave's 2–9 record. Ole Miss
Ole Miss Rebels football
The football history of the University of Mississippi , includes the formation of the first football team in the state and is 26th on the list of college football's all-time winning programs...
head coach Ed Orgeron
Ed Orgeron
Ed Orgeron is an American football coach who is currently serving as the defensive coordinator/defensive line coach/recruiting coordinator for the USC Trojans. Orgeron previously served as the head football coach of the Ole Miss Rebels from 2005 to 2007...
contacted a Tulane assistant about players transferring in the wake of the hurricane. Scelfo accused Ole Miss of tampering and said:
"In the worst natural disaster in the history of the United States, you've got to stoop pretty low to do that. You're lower than dirt ... I'm not going to tolerate that. There's people in our business that don't belong in our business."The Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
investigated the matter and exonerated Ole Miss of any wrongdoing.
After failing to compile a winning season since 2002, Tulane fired Scelfo on November 29, 2006. His final record at Tulane was 37–57. In January 2008, the Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
of the NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
hired Scelfo as its tight ends coach
Tight ends coach
A tight ends coach is a coach in charge of the tight ends in American football. The tight ends coach typically operates under the team's offensive coordinator....
.
Head coaching record
Personal life
Scelfo is married to wife Nancy née Caldwell, with whom he has a son and a daughter. His brother, Frank Scelfo, served as his offensive coordinator at Tulane. His nephew, Anthony Scelfo, played as a quarterbackQuarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
at Tulane.