Longtime Patriots Coach Visits Orange Practice

There were more than enough Super Bowl rings to go around at the Syracuse football team’s practice on Saturday, March 31. Head coach Greg Robinson owns two of them, but he had an old friend in town that day, who brought along a few of his own. Dante Scarnecchia, the assistant head coach and offensive line coach of the New England Patriots, came to SU to see his friend of more than 30 years and check out the Syracuse program.

Scarnecchia, who has been with the Patriots for the past 25 years and is the only coach in the franchise’s history to be a part of all five Patriot Super Bowl teams, addressed the Orange and interacted at practice that afternoon.

“The thing he hit on the most with the players is that the New England Patriots don’t believe that everything that they do is better than everyone else, but it’s what they believe in,” Robinson said. “That is what a football team is all about—players and coaching staff together, believing in and working to achieve all of the same things. I was very glad because I think it validated a lot of the things we tell our players. It’s all about everyone pulling together and really focusing on obtaining the same objective.”

Scarnecchia also spoke at the SU football clinic, held March 30-31 at Manley Field House for local high school and youth coaches. He passed on the knowledge of instruction, game planning, and breaking down film that he has amassed in his nearly 37 years as a football coach.

“He did an outstanding job really showing the high school and Pop Warner coaches how simplistic things can be at the professional level,” Robinson said of Scarnecchia’s impact. “He did a great job of teaching with his drawings and practice film and game film. For the coaches, it was easy to see his progression and how he goes about his teaching. Not only was he teaching good techniques and fundamentals, but the teaching progression was very, very good. It’s beneficial for the coaches because they get to hear college and professional coaches. It’s a great opportunity to learn.”

Robinson and Scarnecchia have known each other for 30 years, dating back to when Robinson began as a coach at his alma mater, the University of Pacific. The two first crossed paths in 1977 when Robinson was moving from a graduate assistant position at Pacific to become a full-time assistant at Cal State Fullerton. Scarnecchia became the offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator at Pacific in that same year and the two forged a friendship that has lasted ever since.

Syracuse University Athletics

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