Andy Reid remembers Tony Sparano as a “great man”
By Matt Conner
Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid mentioned Tony Sparano in his media comments to honor the passing of a friend in the game.
The NFL unexpectedly lost a cherished member of the coaching fraternity in the sport with the news that longtime coach Tony Sparano had passed away. Per Chris Mortensen, after suffering from chest pains earlier in the week, and getting them checked out, Sparano passed out before leaving for church on Sunday morning.
Sparano was a respected offensive mind who had coached all over the National Football League, making friends coast to coast in the process. He started his coaching career in Division II at the University of New Haven in Connecticut as an offensive line coach. He would return there as the head coach in the mid-’90s before joining the Cleveland Browns in ’99 as an offensive quality control coach.
From there, Sparano became a name on the rise. He coached the offensive line or tight ends for multiple NFL teams, including every team in the NFC East which is likely where Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid first got to know him during his long tenure with the Philadelphia Eagles. In fact, Sparano first climbed to the upper ranks of coaching with the Dallas Cowboys where he served as assistant head coach in 2007.
Sparano was named head coach of the Miami Dolphins for a four-year stint from 2008 to 2011, but Chiefs fans will also remember Sparano’s time with the Oakland Raiders in recent years. Sparano was the assistant head coach for the Raiders during Reid’s first year with the team in 2013 and then was elevated to interim head coach with the Raiders in 2014 after Dennis Allen was fired. He was eventually replaced in 2015 by Jack Del Rio.
During his comments to the media on Sunday, Andy Reid spoke highly of Sparano, stating that he was a “friend” and “a great man.”
"Tony was a friend, heck of a coach and great man. I am very sorry to hear what went on. My prayers are with his family, that’s a tough deal."
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Sparano, who was 56 at the time of his passing, was currently serving as the Minnesota Vikings offensive line coach.