Pat Sperduto
| No. 65 | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Offensive lineman / defensive lineman |
| Personal information | |
| Date of birth: | October 14, 1966 |
| Place of birth: | Somerville, Massachusetts |
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Weight: | 265 lb (120 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College: | UMass Boston |
| Undrafted: | 1990 |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| As coach: | |
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| As executive: | |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
| Head coaching record | |
| Regular season: | 48–41–1 |
| Postseason: | 5–4 |
| Career: | 53–45–1 |
| Player stats at ArenaFan.com | |
Pat Sperduto (born October 14, 1966) is an American football coach and executive who was the final head coach of the Columbus Destroyers of the Arena Football League as well as a scout for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League. Sperduto played his entire three-year Arena career as an active player with Tampa Bay Storm, and was also the final head coach of the Nashville Kats.
College career
Sperduto attended the UMass Boston. While there, he was both a fullback and linebacker. He earned All-New England Conference honors from 1987-1989.
Professional playing career
Sperduto was an Offensive lineman / Defensive lineman for the Tampa Bay Storm from 1991 until 1993. While playing for Tampa Bay, he won two ArenaBowls. For his career, he recorded 24 tackles, three sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
Professional coaching career
Early career
While playing for the Storm, Sperduto also served as a coach at Murray State University, along with National Football League General Manager Scott Pioli. Then, in 1992, Sperduto took over football operations for the American Sports Foundation of Macelatta in Tolentino, Italy.
Arena Football League (1995–2001)
Sperduto joined the Storm as an assistant coach in 1994 and helped them win the ArenaBowl in 1995. The next season he served as defensive coordinator for the Connecticut Coyotes. He then joined the Nashville Kats where, in 1997, he served as defensive coordinator and the Director of Player Personnel. and was promoted to Assistant Head coach/Defensive coordinator in 1998. At the end of that season, he was named head coach of the Kats and coached them to an 8-6 record in 1999. The next season the team finished 9-5 and earned a spot in ArenaBowl XIV. Then in 2001, the Kats finished 10-5 and won the National Conference Southern Division and earned a spot in another ArenaBowl losing a second time. After the season, the franchise was sold to Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank and moved to Georgia and became the Georgia Force.
National Football League
Sperduto was hired by the Tennessee Titans in September 2001, and served on the coaching and scouting staffs until June 2008. While working for the Titans, in 2004, he was charged to oversee the startup process of a new AFL franchise to be placed in Nashville.
Arena Football League (2005–present)
In 2005, Sperduto returned to coaching in the Arena Football League as Head coach and Director of football operations for the "new" Nashville Kats franchise. That season, the Kats went 6-9-1 and finished third in the Central Division. The next season the team went 8-8 en route to a second-place finish in the division and spot in the playoffs. The 2007 season saw Nashville go 7-9 and miss the playoffs by one game. After the season the team folded, once again.
On June 15, 2008, he was hired as the fourth head coach of the Columbus Destroyers. However, the 2009 AFL season was cancelled due to economic concerns regarding the league.
National Football League (2009–present)
On May 1, 2009, Sperduto was hired by his friend, Pioli, as a scout for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Broadcasting
Sperduto has also done some broadcasting work, acting as a color analyst for high school and college football games on local Middle Tennessee television, as well as the Tennessee Titans.
Famous quotes
- "Get theirs. Protect yours. Put W's on the board."[1]
Personal
Sperduto and his wife, Laura, reside in Brentwood, Tennessee, with their son Cosmo, and daughters Roseann and Sofia.