Alabama football hires new offensive line coach Doug Marrone: Here's what you need to know about him
Former Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone is returning to the college ranks as Alabama's offensive line coach.
Here are five things to know about Marrone.
He coached in the SEC two decades ago
Marrone was Georgia's offensive line coach in 2000 and Tennessee's offensive tackles and tight ends coach in 2001. His season in Athens was Jim Donnan's last as Georgia's head coach and his move to Tennessee got him there in time to be a part of the No. 4 team in the nation.
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In 2001, the Volunteers got to the SEC Championship Game at 10-1, losing to LSU (in Nick Saban's second season coaching the Tigers) but winning the Citrus Bowl, climbing to No. 4 in the final AP and coaches polls.
He was the head coach at his alma mater
Marrone was the head coach at Syracuse from 2009 to 2012, winning the Pinstripe Bowl twice and a share of the Big East in 2012 before leaving for the Bills.
His teams pulled several notable upsets, such as a win over No. 10 Louisville in 2012 and wins over ranked West Virginia teams in both 2010 and 2011.
He played football in London
As a sixth-round draft pick, Marrone had to bounce around several teams and enduring several cuts just to play in five NFL games over a three-year span.
Not ready to stop playing at the time, Marrone joined the London Monarchs in the inaugural season of the World League of American Football, a the predecessor to NFL Europe. He played with the Monarchs in 1991 and 1992 before staring his coaching career as the tight ends coach for Cortland State in 1992.
He was once 38 yards away from the Super Bowl
Marrone's 2017 Jacksonville Jaguars lost both meetings with the Titans but managed to finish one game ahead of them to win the AFC South division, then won two playoff games to matchup with the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game.
A trademark Tom Brady touchdown drive in the final minutes put the Patriots up 24-20 with fewer than three minutes to go, and the Jaguars made some progress in the limited time: crossing the 50-yard line and ultimately getting to the 38. A Blake Bortles fumble set the Jaguars back and ultimately ended their chances of winning.
He coached against UA grad assistant Tino Sunseri
Marrone's final three seasons as Syracuse's head coach coincided with Tino Sunseri's three seasons as Pitt's starting quarterback; Sunseri is now a graduate assistant coaching quarterbacks at UA.
Sunseri got the better of Marrone's Orange on the whole. Sunseri threw for 281 yards and four touchdowns in a 45-14 win in 2010 and completed 73.5% of his passes in a 33-20 win in 2011. In the 2012 game, Sunseri threw for 319 yards but Syracuse won, 14-13.
Reach Brett Hudson at 205-722-0196 or bhudson@tuscaloosanews.com or via Twitter, @Brett_Hudson