Patriots Coach Dante Scarnecchia to Receive Pro Football Hall of Fame Award

Former New England Patriots offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia is widely considered one of the greatest positional coaches in NFL history.

FOXBORO — Legendary New England Patriots offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia has been selected as a recipient of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Awards of Excellence

Scarnecchia — a six-time Super Bowl champion who had previously retired after the 2013 season and returned in 2016 — has rightfully earned his reputation as one of the Patriots most respected and revered coaches in franchise history. 

Throughout his 49-year coaching tenure, Scarnecchia coached at his alma mater, California Western, and made stops at Iowa State, Pacific, Northern Arizona and Southern Methodist before joining Ron Meyer’s Patriots staff in 1982. He would later spend two seasons as offensive line coach for the Indianapolis Colts under Meyer, and landed back in New England under Dick MacPherson in 1991.

With the Patriots, Scarnecchia went on to hold the titles of special teams coach, tight ends coach, special assistant and defensive assistant. He’d be named offensive line coach in 1999, and remained in that capacity following Bill Belichick’s arrival as head coach at the start of the millennium. He was officially on Belichick’s staff for five Super Bowl winning teams, earning his sixth ring while serving as a consultant on the 2014 (Super Bowl XLIX) squad.

In 2015, Scarnecchia received the Pro Football Writers of America’s Paul ‘Dr. Z’ Zimmerman Award — named for the late, longtime Sports Illustrated writer — recognizing his lifetime achievement as an NFL assistant coach

The Awards of Excellence is a program, launched by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2022, to honor those who made a positive impact on individual teams and the sport of professional football. Those eligible for the award include assistant coaches, athletic directors, equipment managers, film/video directors, and public relations personnel.

Scarnecchia will be one of three assistant coaches honored joining former San Francisco 49ers coach Sherman Lewis and ex-Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator Tom Moore.

“Each recipient has dedicated decades of time to creating meaningful change for their respective field, their teams and the National Football League,” Hall of Fame President Jim Porter said via press release.

The Hall of Fame will honor Scarnecchia, along with the other 16 recipients in Canton with an evening reception on June 28 and an awards luncheon June 29.

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