Pasqualoni Expresses Appreciation for 14-Year Tenure at SU

Paul Pasqualoni reflected on his 14-year tenure as head coach of the Orange football program one day after new SU athletics director Daryl Gross announced he was taking the football program in a different direction and would search for a new head coach. Pasqualoni closed his 14-year tenure as Syracuse University's head football coach with a 107-59-1 record, including six bowl victories in nine postseason games.

Opening Remarks

“First I just want to say that I appreciate everybody’s patience yesterday. I know that everyone would have liked to have had an opportunity to talk to me yesterday. I just appreciate everybody giving me chance to have a day and collect some thoughts.

“I have had an opportunity here to be around some great people and coach some great kids. Growing up in the East and always knowing the legacy of Syracuse and the great players and the great tradition and having a chance to be at Penn State and compete against Syracuse, I’ve always had tremendous respect for this place. Coach (Dick) Mac (MacPherson) gave me the opportunity to come here to be an assistant coach. It was kind of like a dream come true – an opportunity to be a Division I coach in the East where I grew up. I always appreciated Coach Mac giving me a chance. Mac is one of the great mentors anyone could have. I have been really fortunate to be around a guy of his stature and his experience.

“I have to thank the players who have been here, going back to my first year here, kids like Terry Wooden and David Bavaro, working with a guy like Norm Gerber who showed me the ropes as to how they did things here at Syracuse. The quality of human being and the quality of player that we have had here over the years that I have had the good fortune to know is mindboggling. After coaching those great kids and then having a chance to coach a guy like Danny Conley, who may have been one of the best players at the position that I’ve ever been around, and all the other great kids through the years has been a gift that not many coaches in their careers have an opportunity to be around. It’s been tremendous all the way through up to this year.

“I’ve said this over and over, Jake (Crouthamel) is a great administrator. Jake was a great boss. Jake was always working. There wasn’t a day that Jake walked down to this facility or came out to practice or sat in a meeting where he wasn’t evaluating and he wasn’t working. I always felt I had to come here every single day and qualify to do the job and qualify to be the head coach here. That was a very positive thing.

“I don’t think there could’ve been a better working environment in an athletic department anywhere in America than what Jake and the Chancellor and Lou Marcoccia provided for everybody here in this department. That is something wherever I go or whatever I do, which I don’t know what I’m going to do, that’s something I’m going to miss – the people. The people make this place for me very special. I’m glad I came. I’m glad I stayed. I had some opportunities to leave. But like I told my wife last night, had I left, I never would have met her and I wouldn’t have the three great kids that I have. There’s a reason that everything happens.

"I can’t thank the people here enough, I can’t thank the people in the community enough. There are so many great people in the community here who have been so great to me and so great to my wife. The support staff, from the sports information office with Larry Kimball, who is legendary, to Sue Edson, who is so professional and has taken the sports information department to a higher level, to all the secretaries, the academic support people, the strength staff, Don Lowe first and now Tim Neal and Irv Raphael in sports medicine are just tremendously professional people to work with. I’ve been a really lucky guy and very fortunate to be here. I appreciate Mel Eggers giving me a chance and Lou Marcoccia and Jake Crouthamel supporting that. I’d like to thank Chancellor Shaw for being such a positive guy.”

Are you surprised at the change following Chancellor Nancy Cantor's press conference on December 6?

“I’m not going to get into any of the process on the decision. I take full responsibility. I’m the head coach. This is a business where you have to win games and all of those things that we have talked about and we’ve all gone over a hundred times. So I’m not going to get into the personal side of it. Again, I’m going to say that I’m appreciative for the opportunity that I have been given here.”

Are you in shock right now?

“I’m not in shock at all. As I said earlier, everyday when you walk through those doors and you are in this business, you walk in understanding that you have to get the job done every single day. That’s the great thing about being involved with football at this level. There’s not one day that goes by where you can slack off. There’s not one day that you can take the day off. I don’t believe you can do that in this business. You get into this business realizing the reality of the job that you have and career you have chosen. And you understand that losing your job is a risk that you take every single day. I’m not in shock. I understand everything that is going on.”

Did you know during the Champs Sports Bowl that it would be your last game as head coach at SU?

“All you’re doing during the course of the game is you’re just trying to figure out how to help the kids and help the team win. Very honestly, it was something during the course of the game that I never gave a thought to.”

Do you believe that you got the job done at Syracuse?

“I’m not going to get into justification. I said a couple of weeks ago that at the final hour when I’m laying there, (smiling) and I hope there is a priest around to give me my last rites, I’ll die in peace because I can honestly tell you that every single day, like the coaches on this staff who have been great to work with, we did the absolute best we could do every single day. There wasn’t one day when I went home early. There wasn’t one day when I said I’m going to go to the beach and not go to work. There wasn’t one day that I said I’m going to go play golf. There wasn’t one day that I did that. I came in and tried to do the absolute best I could do everyday. That’s all you can do. It all depends on what you call success. I’m awfully proud of the kids I’ve had the chance to be around in this program. I’m awfully proud of the way they have carried themselves. I’m awfully proud of the way they have represented Syracuse University. I’m proud of what they are doing now. I have gotten so many calls from so many great kids since yesterday, I can’t even tell you how many calls I’ve had. That is what, to me, success in this business is. Success in this business is winning games. We have won some great games. Unfortunately we’ve lost some games over the last couple of years that we should’ve, could’ve, would’ve won. Ultimately, that was the problem. I’m awfully proud of what the staff and what Syracuse University stood for and what we have gotten done.”

Is there anything he would have done differently?

“You guys have been over the number of wins at home and the number of wins on the road. We would have liked to have won a couple more games at home. We would have liked to have won some critical games on the road. I don’t know what we could have done differently. Everyday we tried to put thought into what we were doing. We put a lot of time into game planning, a lot of time into everything we did. I’m not going to second-guess it. We absolutely did the best we could.”

Are (new SU athletics director) Dr. Daryl Gross’ goals for a national championship for the program realistic?

“Every year we went into the team meeting and the first goal up on the board was a national championship, BIG EAST Conference Championship and the BCS and play on New Year’s Day. Those are goals that I’ve always been around. As a player at Penn State, those were the unwritten goals. When we came to here to Syracuse, during the ’87 season we had a crack at it. That’s what we’ve all shot for. Whether that is realistic to do every year – I don’t know if anyone can do it every single year. That’s certainly got to be what you shoot for.”

After Chancellor Nancy Cantor's December 6 press conference, did you expect to be back for the 2005 season?

“I’m a very optimistic person so I was always optimistic that I would be back. I was optimistic up until the final moment that I would be back. I always look at things on the positive side and always thought there was a chance I could be back. Everyday in this job, I don’t know if everybody understands, there is risk. There’s risk every time you go out and play that you could lose the game. It is an inherent risk of being a coach and for players involved with football at this level.”

What was the purpose of the Chancellor's press conference on December 6 and whether he feels he was misled?

“I think the University and the Chancellor held it to extend intentions of having this staff back. I was fully aware of everything that was said in detail. We tried to get a lot done in the month of December. We took our best shot at it and it didn’t work out. You go back to you have to qualify to do your job every single day in this business. That is the way it is.”

What will you say to the players that are coming back and you won’t be their coach?

“Work hard. I’ve seen a few of the kids here today. Get in the weight room. Do what you are supposed to every single day. Listen to the strength staff. When the new staff comes in, do it the right way. I really believe that Syracuse has a chance to compete just like we have every year. It’s been the goal every year. I don’t see why it would be any different next year. I think the kids will take the bull by the horns and go.”

Will you coach again?

“Absolutely. It’s only been a day so I don’t have any idea of what I will do. But I certainly will coach. That’s what I love to do.”

How hard is it to recruit at Syracuse?

“It is hard to recruit everywhere. Everyone is doing a good job in recruiting. Everybody is working extremely hard at it. I would say that every place has some positives and every place has some things that aren’t quite as positive.”

Are you offended when you hear (new SU athletics director) Dr. Gross refer to “rebuilding” the program?

“I think there is a great foundation here. I think the team physically is in good shape. I think there are a lot of good kids coming back. I think that Daryl would acknowledge that. He made a comment about the pregame warmup with how impressed he was with how big the kids looked. I think we are in pretty good shape academically. I don’t see any big issues. We don’t have anybody in trouble. I would say that the next staff has a chance to come in and build on what we tried to do. There are some kids who worked really hard. You have some kids with great character. Add to that group and keep going and you have a chance to have a good program.”

How hard is it for the staff who have been so loyal to you?

“Coming to work everyday and enjoying the people you are around is very important. We spend so many hours together every single day that I can’t say enough about the staff. I’ve said that before. From January, 2004 to where we are today, this group of guys has worked extremely hard. They are tremendously unselfish, tremendously cooperative, work on football, research football, try to do what is in the best interest of the program, work with the kids academically, be good to the kids. It’s just a great group of guys. Guys like Jake, the support staff, the coaching staff and the kids made it a lot of fun to come to work everyday. That is what I’ll miss the most.”

They say that the worst part of having the best job you ever had is losing the best job you ever had. Is that how you feel today?

“Yes, absolutely. This is a great job. When I came here I wasn’t sure how long I would be here. How many guys get to go someplace and be there for 18 years. I’ve been really lucky.”

What’s next for you?

“First I want to let the dust settle. I want to try to help the coaches as much as I can, if I can. Then we’ll worry about what I’m going to do. For me, I love teaching and I love coaching. So I could be happy teaching and coaching almost anywhere. We’ll just see what opportunities there are and just move on from there.”

How do you want to be remembered?

“Somebody who tried everyday to do the right thing. Never bent the rules. Never asked kids to do what I didn’t think was appropriate. I think this staff did a great job of remembering everyday that it was somebody’s son they were coaching. If it was your son, we tried to remember that kid had a mommy and a daddy and how would they want their son treated, guided and coached. I can honestly tell you that this staff did a superb job in that area.”

How do you feel about walking away from this job under these circumstances?

“Like I told my wife, thank the Lord I stayed here. If I hadn’t stayed here, I never would have met my wife and I have three great kids and I wouldn’t have the family that I have. I’m as appreciative as I possibly could be. There are people who are very influential in your life and sometimes you’re lucky to be around people. The way I ended up at Penn State, I was lucky to end up there. I had a chance to be around some great people like Jerry Sandusky, my position coach, Joe Paterno, and the staff there who were unbelievable people. I got into college football and was fortunate enough to work with George DeLeone and Dennis Goldman at Southern Connecticut. Then I went to Western Connecticut and had a great experience there. Then I was fortunate that Coach Mac gave me chance to come here. Like Joe, like Jerry, like my father, Mac is one of the greatest people I’ve been around. Jake was my boss. I never went out and had a beer with Jake. I never went out and had dinner with Jake. But I was better every single day for having Jake as my boss. You had that feeling and drive that you had to come in and work hard every single day in a very positive atmosphere. I feel like I’m a better guy today for having come to Syracuse 18 years ago and just want thank everybody in the community, Mel Eggers and Lou Marcoccia, Jake and Coach Mac for somehow, 14 years ago, saying we’re going to give this guy a chance to be the head coach at Syracuse. I appreciate it.”

What will it be like to not get up in the morning and not coming to work to focus on Syracuse football?

“I’ll be focused on getting back into football or doing something in football. Why do I do this? Because, like Jerry Rice said last year when he was questioned about playing football at age 40, I love the grind and I love the preparing and I love being around the kids. And I love being around great people. I think football is a venue to be around some great people, great kids and great coaches.”

Is it a relief to be free of the frustrations you have experienced during the last couple of seasons?

“I don’t look at it that way. I’m not relieved about anything. We’re just looking forward to the next opportunity. We’ll start again and see where it takes us.”

What was the top moment during his time at Syracuse?

“It’s hard to say one thing. There are so many things. It’s not like we had just one great game or just one great year. We had a number of them. The greatest memory here is the fact that things were done here in a big league manner. Coach Paterno used to say for a nickel more you go first class. I think Syracuse has done things in a big league, first-class manner. That’s been great.”

Syracuse University Athletics

Pasqualoni Expresses Appreciation for 14-Year Tenure at SU

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