New England Patriots Coach Abruptly Retires
A New England Patriots coach abruptly retired this week.
On Tuesday, longtime Patriots offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia announced that he was calling it quits.
Scarnecchia, one of the league’s longest tenured coaches, has spent 34 of his 36 seasons with New England.
The 71-year-old is considered an immensely important piece of the Patriots’ Super Bowl runs. He previously retired for two years in 2014 and 2015 before returning in 2016.
I just spoke briefly with Patriots offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia, who confirms he is retiring. This was first reported by @christianfauria. Scarnecchia, who is a longtime Patriots fixture, plans to remain in the area.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) January 28, 2020
“I think the world of Dante,” head coach Bill Belichick said.
“I think he is as fine of a coach as anybody that I’ve coached with, and I’ve had the opportunity to coach with a lot of them.”
Scarnecchia was originally brought on in 1982 by then head coach Ron Meyer. He then briefly spent some time on Meyer’s staff with the Indianapolis Colts before returning to the Patriots.
From then onward, Scarnecchia worked with Meyer, Raymond Berry, Dick MacPherson, Bill Parcells, Pete Carroll and Belichick.
Scarnecchia has served as a coach in 49 of the Patriots’ 58 playoff games. He has won five Super Bowls with the organization.
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A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.
