Nick Sirianni Benefactor Todd Haley Named a Head Coach in USFL Reboot

Haley, who gave the Eagles coach a head start in the NFL, will coach the Tampa Bay Bandits this spring

The new USFL announced Thursday the hiring of its first four head coaches - Todd Haley, Kevin Sumlin, Mike Riley, and Bart Andrus - with play scheduled to start this spring.

The notable connections locally are Andrus, who was named the head coach of the rebooted Philadelphia Stars, and Haley, Nick Sirianni's first NFL boss.

Haley, the head coach in Kansas City from 2009-2011, hired the current Eagles mentor as a quality control coach when he got the Chiefs' job. At the time, Sirianni had been coaching at the college level for just five seasons at Mount Union and IUP.

The two have remained very close since.

Congratulations to Nick Sirianni! Brought him into league in 2009 with Chiefs! Very proud! #NFL #Eagles

— Todd Haley (@thetoddhaley) January 21, 2021

When Sirianni was in college playing WR at Mount Union, he spent his summers back home in Jamestown, N.Y. where he would work out at the local YMCA, the same gym Haley, who was the Chicago Bears receivers coach at the time, used after purchasing a summer home in the area.

Already in love with the game, Sirianni made sure to time his workouts to be at the same time as Haley. 

Sirianni eventually worked up the courage to strike up a conversation with Haley, told the veteran coach he was a receiver and Haley would give Sirianni tips to take back to the Division III powerhouse.

When Haley got the big chair in Kansas City he brought Sirianni in as an entry-level assistant.

Over a decade later, Sirianni coincidently brought up Haley earlier this week before the latter was named the new coach of the Tampa Bay Bandits.

Haley came up when Sirianni was asked about so-called rust vs. rest strategy in Week 18 against the Dallas Cowboys, a game in which both teams have already clinched postseason berths and only have a small chance to change their seedings.

"I've been in seven play-in games," Sirianni said. "Seven. And then there was one time we were locked up in Kansas City, we had won the division in 2010 and we were locked up going into the last game.

"So, I mean, that was quite some time ago, but the other ones, you were playing in on week 17 then – what did I say six, seven? We were in six of them, so we were – obviously, that's a different story."

MORE: Here's What Nick Sirianni Should Do with His Team vs. Dallas

Haley was the head man with the Chiefs in 2010 and Sirianni had moved from quality control to assistant quarterbacks coach.

"When we were in Kansas City, we rested some guys but not the whole team," Sirianni said. "So, I'll look back at that scenario, call Todd Haley, talk to him about it, call some different coaches and see what their opinion is."

The new USFL will have eight teams, with 10-game regular-season schedules running from April 16 through mid-June.

"Today is a monumental day for the new USFL as we hit the 100 days to kickoff mark," USFL president Brian Woods said in a statement. "To attract Mike Riley and Todd Haley, two former NFL head coaches, Bart Andrus, a former head coach in NFL Europe and CFL, plus an experienced college head coach in Kevin Sumlin, to the USFL, speaks to the quality of the league we're building.

"They all share our belief in high-quality spring football, and we're honored to have them lead their respective teams this year. We can't wait to hit the field!"

Haley finished 19-26 with the Chiefs from 2009 to 2011 and went on to become the offensive coordinator with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns.

Andrus, who will coach the Stars, arguably the best team in the inaugural USFL, has coached in the CFL with Toronto, the old UFL with Omaha, and NFL Europe with the Amsterdam Admirals.

-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's EagleMaven and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on both PhillyVoice.com and YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Extending the Play" on AM1490 in South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen

Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Eagle Maven and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglemaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.