Mike Vrabel, Dante Scarnecchia inducted into Patriots Hall of Fame
FOXBORO - Former Patriots player Mike Vrabel and former Patriots coach Dante Scarnecchia were inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame Saturday.
Vrabel joined the Patriots as a free agent in 2001 after four years with limited playing time in Pittsburgh. He started 12 regular-season games in his first season in New England before starting all three playoff games and helping the Patriots win their first Super Bowl. He'd end up playing 125 regular-season games and 17 playoff games for the Patriots, winning three Super Bowls along the way. He ranks seventh in franchise history with 48 sacks, and he also ranks 50th with eight touchdown receptions from his work as a goal line tight end.
Vrabel is the eighth three-time Super Bowl champion to earn enshrinement in Foxboro, along with Troy Brown, Tedy Bruschi, Kevin Faulk, Ty Law, Matt Light, Willie McGinest and Richard Seymour. He had been a finalist for seven straight years before finally getting voted in to the team hall of fame this year.
"To be able to come back here in this regard, and not have to worry about coaching a football game, or anything else, I'm really appreciative of this," said Vrabel. "This is an unbelievable honor."
Scarnecchia, 75, spent 34 years on the Patriots' coaching staff, working under head coaches Ron Meyer, Raymond Berry, Dick MacPherson, Bill Parcells, Pete Carroll and Bill Belichick. His job titles included special teams coach, tight ends coach, special assistant, defensive assistant, assistant head coach (under Belichick), and of course, offensive line coach.
"No one worked harder or was more prepared than Dante," said Patriots owner Robert Kraft at the ceremony. "He was always the first one into the building and usually the last to leave."
Scarnecchia was selected for the team hall of fame by owner Kraft. He's the fourth person to have been selected by Kraft as a contributor, joining team founder Billy Sullivan, play-by-play announcer Gil Santos and cheerleader director Tracy Sormanti.
"I was going to be a football coach," said Scarnecchia. "That was my dream and I lived it for 48 years. That, in itself, is a reward that I should always cherish and I do."
The ceremony, usually open to the public, was moved inside and closed to the public due to the weather.
