Tony Sparano facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Tony Sparano

Sparano as head coach of the Dolphins in 2011
Personal information
Born:	(1961-10-07)October 7, 1961 West Haven, Connecticut, U.S.
Died:	July 22, 2018(2018-07-22) (aged 56) Eden Prairie, Minnesota, U.S.
Career information
High school:	New Haven (CT) Lee
College:	New Haven
Career history
As coach:
New Haven (1984–1987) Offensive line coach Boston University (1988) Offensive line coach Boston University (1989–1993) Offensive coordinator New Haven (1994–1998) Head coach Cleveland Browns (1999) Offensive quality control coach Cleveland Browns (2000) Offensive line coach Washington Redskins (2001) Tight ends coach Jacksonville Jaguars (2002) Tight ends coach Dallas Cowboys (2003–2004) Tight ends coach Dallas Cowboys (2005–2006) Offensive line coach & running game coordinator Dallas Cowboys (2007) Assistant head coach & offensive line coach Miami Dolphins (2008–2011) Head coach New York Jets (2012) Offensive coordinator Oakland Raiders (2013–2014) Assistant head coach & offensive line coach Oakland Raiders (2014) Interim head coach San Francisco 49ers (2015) Tight ends coach Minnesota Vikings (2016–2017) Offensive line coach
Head coaching record
Regular season:	32–41 (.438)
Postseason:	0–1 (.000)
Career:	32–42 (.432)
Coaching stats at PFR

Anthony Joseph Sparano III (born October 7, 1961 – died July 22, 2018) was a well-known American football coach. He was a head coach for the Miami Dolphins and Oakland Raiders in the National Football League (NFL). He holds a special record: he's the only NFL head coach to lead a team to the playoffs right after they had a season with only one win. He did this in his first year with the Dolphins, turning their record around by ten wins.

Sparano was the coach for the offensive line for the Minnesota Vikings from 2016 until he passed away in July 2018.

Playing Football

Tony Sparano played college football at the University of New Haven for four years. He was a starter at the center position for the New Haven Chargers. He finished college in 1982 and earned a degree in criminal justice in 1984.

Coaching Career

Tony Sparano had a long and successful career as a football coach, starting in college and then moving to the NFL.

College Coaching

Sparano began his coaching journey at his old college, New Haven. He coached the offensive line there for four seasons. After that, he joined Boston University, first as an offensive line coach, then for five seasons as their offensive coordinator.

In 1994, Sparano became the head coach for New Haven. He led the Chargers to the playoffs twice in five seasons. In 1997, his team was amazing, scoring the most points in Division II (42.8 points per game) and allowing the second-fewest points (11.6 points per game). They finished that year with a great 12–2 record, making it to the championship game.

National Football League (NFL) Coaching

Assistant Coach in the NFL

Sparano started coaching in the NFL in 1999. He had short periods with the Cleveland Browns, Washington Redskins, and Jacksonville Jaguars. In 2003, he was hired by new Dallas Cowboys coach Bill Parcells. Sparano worked his way up from coaching tight ends to becoming an assistant head coach during his five years in Dallas. He was in charge of calling offensive plays for the Cowboys in 2006.

Head Coach in the NFL

After the Miami Dolphins had a very tough season with only one win, they hired Tony Sparano as their new head coach on January 16, 2008. He signed a four-year contract.

In his first year, Sparano led the Dolphins to an amazing 11–5 record. They won the AFC East division title, which was the team's first playoff spot in seven years! This 10-win improvement tied an NFL record. The Dolphins lost to the Baltimore Ravens in their first playoff game. Sparano was almost named the AP Coach of the Year, finishing just one vote behind Mike Smith.

In 2009 and 2010, the Dolphins finished with a 7-9 record each season. At the end of the 2010 season, there were many rumors that the Dolphins' owner was looking at other coaches, even though Sparano was still the head coach.

On January 8, 2011, the Dolphins gave Sparano a two-year contract extension. However, on December 12, 2011, after a tough loss, Sparano was fired. The team paid him for the rest of his contract. To this day, Sparano is the last Dolphins head coach to lead them to a division title and an 11-win season.

Back to Assistant Coaching

On January 11, 2012, Sparano became the new offensive coordinator for the New York Jets. He signed a three-year deal. However, the Jets' offense struggled, ranking 30th out of 32 teams in the NFL, and Sparano was fired on January 7, 2013.

On January 23, 2013, Sparano joined the Oakland Raiders as both assistant head coach and offensive line coach. He was expected to help improve the Raiders' running game. After the Raiders started the 2014 season with zero wins and four losses, Sparano was promoted to interim head coach on September 30, 2014. He was not kept on as head coach after that season.

On January 22, 2015, the San Francisco 49ers announced that Sparano would be their new tight ends coach.

On January 13, 2016, the Minnesota Vikings hired Sparano as their new offensive line coach. His last game before he passed away was the 2018 NFC Championship Game, where the Vikings lost to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Personal Life and Passing

Tony Sparano was born in West Haven, Connecticut. He was known for wearing sunglasses, even indoors or in low light. This was because of an accident he had at age 17 while working at a fast food restaurant, which damaged his eyesight and made sunglasses medically necessary. He spent many hours volunteering for the West Haven Ray Tellier Midget Football league, helping to coach young people and shape their futures.

Sparano and his wife, Jeanette, had three children: two sons, Anthony Michael (who is also a football coach) and Andrew (also a coach), and a daughter, Ryan Leigh, who is a trained French pastry chef.

On July 19, 2018, Sparano was taken to the hospital in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, because he was having chest pains. He was released the next day, but sadly, he died two days later at 56 years old. After a medical examination, it was confirmed that Sparano died from arteriosclerotic heart disease, which is a type of heart condition.

Head Coaching Records

College Record

NFL Record

* – Interim head coach