| Foge Fazio | |
| Sport(s) | Football |
|---|---|
| Biographical details | |
| Born | February 28, 1938 Dawmont, West Virginia |
| Died | December 9, 2009 (aged 71) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Playing career | |
| 1957–1960 | Pittsburgh |
| Position(s) | Center, linebacker |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1962 1967 1968 1969–1972 1973–1976 1977–1981 1982–1985 1986–1987 1988–1989 1990–1991 1995–1999 2000 2001–2002 | Pittsburgh (GA) Boston University (assistant) Harvard (assistant) Pittsburgh (assistant) Cincinnati (assistant) Pittsburgh (assistant) Pittsburgh Notre Dame (assistant) Atlanta Falcons (assistant) New York Jets (assistant) Minnesota Vikings (assistant) Washington Redskins (assistant) Cleveland Browns (assistant) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 25–18–3 |
| Bowls | 0–2 |
Serafino Dante "Foge" Fazio[1] (February 28, 1938 in Dawmont, West Virginia – December 2, 2009 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania [2]) was an American former National Football League defensive assistant and college football head coach.
Fazio played linebacker and center at the University of Pittsburgh, and was drafted by the Boston Patriots of the AFL but never played professionally. He returned to Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, where he grew up, to begin his coaching career at the high school level, and eventually moved to the college ranks. He was hired as head coach by his alma mater in 1982, having previously been defensive coordinator, leading the team to a 25-18-3 record in four seasons before being fired. Lou Holtz then hired Foge Fazio to serve as the defensive coordinator at the University of Notre Dame.[3] At the college level, Fazio also coached at Boston University, Harvard University and the University of Cincinnati.
He moved to the NFL, coaching for the Atlanta Falcons and New York Jets before becoming the defensive coordinator of the Minnesota Vikings in 1995. He left the Vikings in 1999 and spent a year as the linebackers coach of the Washington Redskins before his hiring as the defensive coordinator of the Cleveland Browns in 2001.[4] He retired from the Browns in 2003, but was hired as a defensive consultant by Mike Tice of the Vikings in the 2005 season.
Following his retirement from coaching he did color commentary for the radio broadcast of Pitt football games during the 2008 and 2009 seasons.[5] Fazio died on December 2, 2009 at the age of 71, as the result of a long bout with leukemia.[1][6] He was survived by his wife and two children, Kristen and Vincent.
Head coaching record[edit | edit source]
College[edit | edit source]
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | AP° | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Panthers (Division I-A Independent) (1982–1985) | |||||||||
| 1982 | Pittsburgh | 9-3 | L Cotton Bowl Classic | 9 | 10 | ||||
| 1983 | Pittsburgh | 8-3-1 | L Fiesta Bowl | 19 | 18 | ||||
| 1984 | Pittsburgh | 3-7-1 | |||||||
| 1985 | Pittsburgh | 5-5-1 | |||||||
| Pittsburgh: | 25-18-3 | ||||||||
| Total: | 25-18-3 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title | |||||||||
| #Rankings from final Coaches' Poll. °Rankings from final AP Poll. | |||||||||
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Majors, Dan; Sanserino, Michael (December 3, 2009). "Obituary: Serafino Dante 'Foge' Fazio / Head football coach at Pitt for 4 years in '80s". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09337/1018128-122.stm. Retrieved December 3, 2009.
- ↑ Legacy.com Obit accessed 3 December 2009
- ↑ "Fazio Joins Notre Dame". New York Times. December 27, 1985. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E06E1DC133BF934A15751C1A963948260&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fOrganizations%2fU%2fUniversity%20of%20Notre%20Dame%20. Retrieved July 16, 2006.
- ↑ "Meet Foge Fazio". Cleveland Browns Official Web Site. http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news_room/news/arts/136.0.html. Retrieved July 16, 2006.[dead link]
- ↑ Harlan, Chris (December 3, 2009). "Former Pitt coach Foge Fazio dies at 71". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/breaking/s_655976.html. Retrieved December 3, 2009.
- ↑ "Former Pitt coach Fazio, 71, dies". Sports Illustrated. Associated Press. December 2, 2009. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/football/ncaa/12/02/fazio.obit.ap/index.html. Retrieved December 3, 2009.[dead link]
External links[edit | edit source]
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by A. J. Christoff |
Notre Dame Fighting Irish Defensive coordinator 1986–1987 |
Succeeded by Barry Alvarez |
| Preceded by Tony Dungy |
Minnesota Vikings Defensive Coordinator 1996–1999 |
Succeeded by Emmitt Thomas |
| Preceded by Romeo Crennel |
Cleveland Browns Defensive Coordinator 2001–2002 |
Succeeded by Dave Campo |
