Dante Scarnecchia to receive an Award of Excellence from Pro Football Hall of Fame
FOXBORO -- Longtime Patriots offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia will be honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame this summer.
Scarnecchia has been selected to receive an Award of Excellence, part of a program launched by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2022 to recognize significant contributors to the game. Scarnecchia is one of 17 individuals that will be honored with the award this year at a luncheon on June 29.
"This year's group of 17 Assistant Coaches, Athletic Trainers, Equipment Managers, Film/Video Directors and Public Relations personnel have impacted their Clubs and the game of professional football positively, and this program is a way to recognize that," said Hall of Fame President Jim Porter. "Each recipient has dedicated decades of time to creating meaningful change for their respective field, their teams and the National Football League."
Here's a full list of those who will be honored with an Award of Excellence from the Pro Football Hall of Fame:
Assistant Coaches: Sherman Lewis, Tom Moore and Dante Scarnecchia
Athletic Trainers: J. Lindsy McLean, Bob Reese and Lamar "Bubba" Tyer
Equipment Managers: William T. "Buck" Buchanan, Robert "Bob" Noel and Bill Simmons
Film/Video Directors: Mike Dougherty, Milan "Mickey" Dukich, Thom Fermstad, Henry Kunttu and Al Treml
Public Relations personnel: Greg Aiello, Kevin Byrne and Budd Thalman
Scarnecchia coached for more than 30 years in the NFL, spending the majority of his time in New England with the Patriots over three different stints. He got his start in the NFL in 1982 as New England's special teams coach and tight ends coach, a position that he held until 1988. After spending two years as the offensive line coach for the Indianapolis Colts, he returned to Foxboro as the special teams/tight end coach. He remained in New England for 22 years -- serving a number of different roles, including assistant head coach and special assistant -- before retiring in 2013.
That retirement didn't last long, as Scarnecchia was back in 2016 to coach New England's offensive line. He coached until 2019, when he retired for good.
Throughout his time with the Patriots, Scarnecchia was part of six Super Bowl championship teams, serving as the team's offensive line coach in each of those seasons.
