Former IUP Football Assistant Coach Nick Sirianni Hired As Philadelphia Eagles Head Coach
By: KDKA-TV News Staff
INDIANA, Pa. (KDKA) - The Philadelphia Eagles have hired Nick Sirianni as their newest head coach, but prior to making the jump to the NFL as a coach, he was an assistant coach at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
Sirianni joined the IUP Football staff in 2006 and spent three seasons as the team's wide receivers coach. In his first season as a coach with IUP, the team compiled an 8-2 record as well as a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Championship.
"Nick did a great job coaching the wide receivers here at IUP," said head coach Paul Tortorella, who was an assistant during Sirianni's stay on campus. "He had a ton of enthusiasm and was only out of college for two years. I had been here for 11 years before Nick interviewed. After the interview, I remember telling a couple of assistants, 'This is a no-brainer, hire him right now before he leaves!'"
After his time at IUP, Sirianni moved on to the NFL, working with wide receivers and quarterbacks.
He spent time with the Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, and most recently was the offensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts.
Sirianni is now the third IUP Football alum to become an NFL head coach, joining Jim Haslett and Ben McAdoo.
"As an athletic department, we are extremely proud and excited for Nick," said athletic director Todd Garzarelli. "He's experienced tremendous success at each stop of his NFL career and we expect him to continue that success in Philadelphia."