Sal Sunseri

Sal Sunseri (born August 1, 1959) is an American college and professional football coach. He is currently a defensive assistant coach at Florida State University. Sunseri played college football for the University of Pittsburgh, where he was an All-American linebacker. He was most recently the defensive coordinator for the University of Tennessee.

Playing career
Sunseri attended the University of Pittsburgh, where he played for the Pittsburgh Panthers football team from 1978 to 1981. He was a three-year starter and anchored a defense that led the NCAA in total defense in both 1980 and 1981. During his senior year, he was named a team captain and a consensus first-team All-American.

After graduating he was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1982 NFL Draft; however, he suffered a career ending knee injury during training camp and was given an injury settlement and released from the team.

Coaching career
Between 1985 and 1992, Sunseri worked as a defensive line and linebacker's coach for his alma mater, the University of Pittsburgh. After Paul Hackett was fired as the team's head coach during Pittsburgh's 1992 season, Sunseri was promoted as an interim head coach for the final game versus Hawaiʻi —a 36–23 loss for the Panthers.

After having previously worked as the defensive line coach for the NFL's Carolina Panthers for six seasons, Sunseri returned to college football on January 21, 2009, when he was named as the outside linebackers coach for the Alabama Crimson Tide football team. In January 2012, days after winning his second national championship with Alabama, Sunseri left to join Derek Dooley's staff at Tennessee as the defensive coordinator.

In December 2012, Sunseri accepted a job as a defensive assistant at Florida State University.

Personal life
Sunseri is married to Roxann Sunseri (née Evans), who is a former varsity gymnast at Pittsburgh. The couple has two daughters and two sons. His son, Tino also played football at the University of Pittsburgh. His younger son, Vinnie, plays for the University of Alabama Crimson Tide. He contributed as a true freshman on the 2011 BCS National Championship team as a reserve safety and on special teams.