Sal Sunseri
| Sal Sunseri | |
|---|---|
| Sport(s) | Football |
| Current position | |
| Title | Defensive Coordinator |
| Team | University of Tennessee |
| Conference | SEC |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | August 1, 1959 |
| Playing career | |
| 1978–1981 | Pittsburgh |
| Position(s) | Linebacker |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1985–1992 1992 1993 1994 1995–1997 1998–1999 2000 2001 2002–2008 2009–2011 2012–present |
Pittsburgh (DL/LB) Pittsburgh Iowa Wesleyan (AC) Illinois State (DC) Louisville (LB) Alabama A&M (DC/LB) LSU (LB/ST) Michigan State (LB/ST) Carolina Panthers (DL) Alabama (AHC/LB) Tennessee (DC) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 0–1 |
| Statistics College Football Data Warehouse |
|
Sal Sunseri (born August 1, 1959) is an American college and professional football coach. Sunseri played college football for the University of Pittsburgh, where he was an All-American linebacker. He is currently the defensive coordinator for the University of Tennessee.
Contents |
[edit] Playing career
Sunseri attended the University of Pittsburgh, where he played for the Pittsburgh Panthers football team from 1978 to 1981.[1] He was a three-year starter and anchored a defense that led the NCAA in total defense in both 1980 and 1981.[1] During his senior year, he was named a team captain and a consensus first-team All-American.
After graduating he was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1982 NFL Draft; however, he suffered a career ending knee injury during training camp[1][2] and was given an injury settlement and released from the team.
[edit] Coaching career
Between 1985 and 1992, Sunseri worked as a defensive line and linebacker's coach for his alma mater, the University of Pittsburgh.[3] After Paul Hackett was fired as the team's head coach during Pittsburgh's 1992 season,[4] Sunseri was promoted as an interim head coach for the final game versus Hawaiʻi[5]—a 36–23 loss for the Panthers.[6]
After having previously worked as the defensive line coach for the NFL's Carolina Panthers for six seasons,[1] Sunseri returned to college football on January 21, 2009, when he was named as the outside linebackers coach for the Alabama Crimson Tide football team. [7][8] In January 2012, days after winning his second national championship with Alabama, Sunseri left to join Derek Dooley's staff at Tennessee as the defensive coordinator.[9]
[edit] Personal life
Sunseri is married to Roxann Sunseri (née Evans), who is a former varsity gymnast at Pittsburgh.[1] The couple has two daughters and two sons. His son, Tino is the current starting quarterback for the Pittsburgh Panthers. His younger son, Vinnie, is a true freshman reserve safety for Alabama who contributes on special teams.[1][10]
[edit] Head coaching record
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | AP° | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Panthers (Big East) (1992) | |||||||||
| 1992 | Pitt | 0–1 | 0–0 | — | — | ||||
| Toledo: | 0–1 | 0–0 | |||||||
| Total: | 0–1 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title | |||||||||
| #Rankings from final Coaches' Poll. °Rankings from final AP Poll. |
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[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f "Sal Sunseri". Carolina Panthers. http://www.panthers.com/Team/CoachBio.aspx?id=1948. Retrieved 2009-02-18.[dead link]
- ^ Tuma, Gary (1983-05-24). "Sunseri, Fedell shooting for comeback with Steelers". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: p. 10. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=xU0NAAAAIBAJ&sjid=mW0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=3029,5428193. Retrieved 2009-02-18.
- ^ Emery, Michael (1985-10-19). "Coach Sal Sunseri hopes to bring winning ways back to Pitt". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: p. 11. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=5lYNAAAAIBAJ&sjid=xW4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6892,5473483. Retrieved 2009-02-18.
- ^ Wolff, Alexander (1992-12-07). "Something For Nothing". Sports Illustrated. http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1004637/index.htm. Retrieved 2009-02-18.
- ^ "Sunseri named interim coach at Pitt". Philadelphia Inquirer: p. C03. 1992-11-28.
- ^ "Pittsburgh Game by Game Results: 1992". College Football Data Warehouse. http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia/bigeast/pittsburgh/yearly_results.php?year=1992. Retrieved 2009-02-18.
- ^ Gantt, Darin (2009-01-20). "Panthers lose D-line coach Sunseri to Alabama". The Herald (Rock Hill, South Carolina). http://www.heraldonline.com/247/story/1080356.html. Retrieved 2009-02-18.[dead link]
- ^ Estes, Gentry (2009-01-21). "Alabama formally names Sal Sunseri and James Willis as new assistants". Mobile Press-Register (AL.com). http://blog.al.com/bamabeat/2009/01/alabama_formally_names_sal_sun.html. Retrieved 2009-02-18.
- ^ "Vols Name Sunseri Defensive Coordinator". UTSports.com. 2012-01-13. http://www.utsports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/011312aaa.html.
- ^ "Tino Sunseri". University of Pittsburgh Athletics. http://pittsburghpanthers.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/sunseri_tino00.html. Retrieved 2009-02-18.
[edit] External links
- Sal Sunseri at Rivals.com
- Sal Sunseri bio at panthers.com
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- 1959 births
- Living people
- Alabama A&M Bulldogs football coaches
- Alabama Crimson Tide football coaches
- All-American college football players
- American football linebackers
- Carolina Panthers coaches
- Illinois State Redbirds football coaches
- Iowa Wesleyan Tigers football coaches
- Louisville Cardinals football coaches
- LSU Tigers football coaches
- Michigan State Spartans football coaches
- Pittsburgh Panthers football coaches
- Pittsburgh Panthers football players
- Tennessee Volunteers football coaches
