Dante Scarnecchia
Encyclopedia
Dante Scarnecchia is the American football
offensive line coach and assistant head coach for the New England Patriots
of the National Football League
. Scarnecchia has spent the majority of his professional coaching career with the Patriots, joining them in 1982
and only leaving in 1989
to coach with the Indianapolis Colts
, before returning to the Patriots two years later.
before transferring to California Western University
in 1966, where he played football as an offensive lineman and earned a degree in physical education, while also serving as a sergeant
in the United States Marine Corps Reserve.
with his alma mater California Western University as their offensive line coach, a position he held through 1972
. From 1973
to 1974
, Scarnecchia was the assistant offensive line and assistant defensive backfield coach for Iowa State University
. In 1975
, he began a two-year stint with Southern Methodist University
, first as a graduate assistant before being promoted to offensive line coach upon the hiring of head coach Ron Meyer
in 1976
. From 1977
through 1978
, Scarnecchia served as offensive line coach for the University of the Pacific before spending a year at Northern Arizona University
in the same capacity. He returned to Southern Methodist in 1980
as offensive line coach, spending two seasons there before following head coach Ron Meyer to the Patriots.
as a special teams and tight end
coach. From 1989 to 1990, he served on Meyer's Indianapolis Colts
' staff as their offensive line coach. Scarnecchia returned to the Patriots in 1991
, where he spent two seasons under Dick McPherson again as a special teams and offensive line coach. In 1992
, Scarnecchia held the responsibilities of head coach while MacPherson was ill for the final eight games of the season. Under head coach Bill Parcells
in 1993
and 1994
, Scarnecchia was re-assigned as a special assistant. In 1995
, Scarnecchia was again re-assigned, this time to a defensive assistant. Once Parcells left the team after the 1996 New England Patriots season
, and Pete Carroll
was hired as head coach, Scarnecchia became the team's special teams coach again. In Carroll's final season with the Patriots, Scarnecchia was re-assigned to his current position of offensive line coach. New head coach Bill Belichick
additionally appointed Scarnecchia as the team's assistant head coach in 2000
.
video director Steve Scarnecchia, who was fired in November 2010 after he was found to have illegally videotaped a San Francisco 49ers
walkthrough practice in October 2010. Steve had previously worked in the video departments for the New York Jets
(2006–2007) and the Patriots (2001–2004). Because of his involvement in the Patriots' own videotaping controversy which dated back to 2000, his repeat violation of NFL rules will lead to a hearing on whether he should be banned from the NFL.
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...
offensive line coach and assistant head coach for the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
of the National Football League
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...
. Scarnecchia has spent the majority of his professional coaching career with the Patriots, joining them in 1982
1982 in sports
1982 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup:** Men's overall season champion: Phil Mahre, United States** Women's overall season champion: Erika Hess, Switzerland-American football:...
and only leaving in 1989
1989 in sports
1989 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Marc Girardelli, Luxembourg** Women's overall season champion: Vreni Schneider, Switzerland-American football:...
to coach with the Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
, before returning to the Patriots two years later.
Playing career
Scarnecchia attended Taft Junior CollegeTaft College
Taft College is a public community college located in Taft, California. Taft College is a part of the California Community Colleges system and is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.The college was founded on...
before transferring to California Western University
Alliant International University
Alliant International University is a private, non-profit higher education institution based in San Diego, California. It offers programs in six California cities and four locations outside the United States...
in 1966, where he played football as an offensive lineman and earned a degree in physical education, while also serving as a sergeant
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
in the United States Marine Corps Reserve.
College
Scarnecchia began his coaching career in 19701970 in sports
1970 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion – Karl Schranz, Austria** Women's overall season champion – Michèle Jacot, France-American football:...
with his alma mater California Western University as their offensive line coach, a position he held through 1972
1972 in sports
1972 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Gustav Thöni, Italy** Women's overall season champion: Annemarie Pröll, Austria-American football:...
. From 1973
1973 in sports
1973 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Gustav Thöni, Italy** Women's overall season champion: Annemarie Pröll, Austria-American football:* O.J...
to 1974
1974 in sports
1974 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Piero Gros, Italy** Women's overall season champion: Annemarie Pröll, Austria-American football:...
, Scarnecchia was the assistant offensive line and assistant defensive backfield coach for Iowa State University
Iowa State University
Iowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University , is a public land-grant and space-grant research university located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Iowa State has produced astronauts, scientists, and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, along with a host of...
. In 1975
1975 in sports
1975 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Gustav Thöni, Italy** Women's overall season champion: Annemarie Pröll, Austria-American football:...
, he began a two-year stint with Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
, first as a graduate assistant before being promoted to offensive line coach upon the hiring of head coach Ron Meyer
Ron Meyer
-References:...
in 1976
1976 in sports
1976 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Ingemar Stenmark, Sweden** Women's overall season champion: Rosi Mittermaier, West Germany-American football:...
. From 1977
1977 in sports
1977 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Ingemar Stenmark, Sweden** Women's overall season champion: Lise-Marie Morerod, Switzerland-American football:...
through 1978
1978 in sports
1978 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Ingemar Stenmark, Sweden** Women's overall season champion: Hanni Wenzel, Liechtenstein-American football:...
, Scarnecchia served as offensive line coach for the University of the Pacific before spending a year at Northern Arizona University
Northern Arizona University
Northern Arizona University is a public university located in Flagstaff, Arizona, United States. It is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, and has 39 satellite campuses in the state of Arizona. The university offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees.As of...
in the same capacity. He returned to Southern Methodist in 1980
1980 in sports
1980 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup:** Men's overall season champion: Andreas Wenzel, Liechtenstein** Women's overall season champion: Hanni Wenzel, Liechtenstein...
as offensive line coach, spending two seasons there before following head coach Ron Meyer to the Patriots.
NFL
Scarnecchia joined the Patriots in 19821982 New England Patriots season
The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's strike-shortened 1982 season with a record of five wins and four losses, and finished seventh in the American Football Conference....
as a special teams and tight end
Tight end
The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
coach. From 1989 to 1990, he served on Meyer's Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
' staff as their offensive line coach. Scarnecchia returned to the Patriots in 1991
1991 New England Patriots season
The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's 1991 season with a record of six wins and ten losses, and finished fourth in the AFC East division.-Staff:-Schedule:-Roster:...
, where he spent two seasons under Dick McPherson again as a special teams and offensive line coach. In 1992
1992 New England Patriots season
The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's 1992 season with a record of two wins and fourteen losses, and finished last in the AFC East division.-Staff:-Schedule:-Roster:...
, Scarnecchia held the responsibilities of head coach while MacPherson was ill for the final eight games of the season. Under head coach Bill Parcells
Bill Parcells
Duane Charles "Bill" Parcells is a former American football head coach, most recently with the Dallas Cowboys from 2003 to 2006...
in 1993
1993 New England Patriots season
The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's 1993 season with a record of five wins and eleven losses, and finished fourth in the AFC East division.-Season summary:Amid year-long rumors that the team would move to St...
and 1994
1994 New England Patriots season
The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's 1994 season with a record of ten wins and six losses, and finished tied for first in the AFC East division....
, Scarnecchia was re-assigned as a special assistant. In 1995
1995 New England Patriots season
The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's 1995 season with a record of six wins and ten losses, and finished fourth in the AFC East division.-Staff:-Schedule:-Roster:...
, Scarnecchia was again re-assigned, this time to a defensive assistant. Once Parcells left the team after the 1996 New England Patriots season
1996 New England Patriots season
The New England Patriots participated in the National Football League's 1996 season, the team's 37th in football. The Patriots finished with a record of eleven wins and five losses, and finished first in the AFC East division...
, and Pete Carroll
Pete Carroll
Peter Clay Carroll is the head coach and executive Vice-President of the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. He is a former head coach of the New York Jets, New England Patriots and the University of Southern California Trojans football team.-Early life:Carroll attended Redwood High...
was hired as head coach, Scarnecchia became the team's special teams coach again. In Carroll's final season with the Patriots, Scarnecchia was re-assigned to his current position of offensive line coach. New head coach Bill Belichick
Bill Belichick
William Stephen "Bill" Belichick is an American football head coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. After spending his first 15 seasons in the league as an assistant coach, Belichick got his first head coaching job with the Cleveland Browns in 1991...
additionally appointed Scarnecchia as the team's assistant head coach in 2000
2000 New England Patriots season
The 2000 New England Patriots season was the 31st season for the team in the National Football League and 41st season overall. They finished with a 5–11 record and in last place in the division....
.
Personal
Dante Scarnecchia is the father of former Denver BroncosDenver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
video director Steve Scarnecchia, who was fired in November 2010 after he was found to have illegally videotaped a San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
walkthrough practice in October 2010. Steve had previously worked in the video departments for the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
(2006–2007) and the Patriots (2001–2004). Because of his involvement in the Patriots' own videotaping controversy which dated back to 2000, his repeat violation of NFL rules will lead to a hearing on whether he should be banned from the NFL.