Luke Whitehouse
@Lwhitehouse12
When Patrick Mahomes rolled out to his right and hit Mecole Hardman for the game-winning touchdown in overtime of Super Bowl LVIII, the Kansas City Chiefs clinched a thrilling 25-22 win over the San Francisco 49ers and officially achieved dynasty status.
Confetti began to fill Allegiant Stadium as players and coaches rushed the field. History had been made in Las Vegas, in more ways than one. Mahomes became the fourth quarterback to start and win three Super Bowls, while Kansas City coach Andy Reid became the fifth head coach to win three Super bowls.
But Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo stood alone.
Spagnuolo guided the New York Giants defense over the undefeated New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII and headed Chiefs’ defenses that went on to win Super Bowls LIV, LVII and, most recently, LVIII, becoming the first coordinator in NFL history to win four Super Bowls.
Spagnuolo’s defenses have always been labeled as tough and gritty. The origin of that grit started right here on Alden Street
Before Spagnuolo’s stops in New York and Kansas City, he was a wide receiver for the Springfield College football team.
The 5-foot-7 Spagnuolo played with an attitude that was infectious.
“What he lacked in talent, he made up for in his effort,” said Jack Quinn, a former Springfield College teammate and two-time All-American safety. “He never took a play off. He came to practice motivated to be better every single day. He was a workhorse.”
At Springfield, Spagnuolo was most likely focused on playing, but what he did not necessarily know was that he was sitting in the ideal setting for the development of the coaching profession.
“Springfield College might be the greatest place on earth,” Quinn said. “What it did was take [men and women] and taught them the skills of coaching.”
Quinn minored in coaching, something he and many others sought out during their time on campus.
“Back then, the majority of students were there for Physical Education or Health and Recreation,” he said, “and through that, you were exposed to every sport and how to coach it.”
Springfield’s head football coach at the time, Howard S. Vandersea, also played a big part in the fostering of the coaching profession. Springfield College Hall of Famer and former head football coach Mike DeLong, who was an assistant under Vandersea, remembers this well.
“The key things that players understood from coach Vandersea were to prepare, work hard and don’t take things for granted,” he said. “And pay attention to the little details because it’s those that can get you beat.”
On Sunday night, those very details were the recipe behind the Chiefs’ timely defensive calls.
Whether it was matching the 49ers’ heavy offensive sets with three linebackers or forcing San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy into tough throws through man coverage calls, Spagnuolo’s defense was on its game from start to finish – as it was all season.
Spagnuolo guided the Chiefs to the No. 2 total defense and knocked off NFL MVP Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship game. But his impact reaches far beyond the X’s and O’s – and that’s what has made him one of the best defensive coordinators in the league.
From the “In Spags we trust” T-shirts that many members of Kansas City’s defense wore prior to the game in Baltimore or the respect he’s garnered from his players in the media, it’s clear that one reason Spagnuolo has succeeded is because of the relationships he’s created.
“You can tell he loves each and every one of us like we’re his kids,” Chiefs defensive end George Karlaftis said during Super Bowl media day. “He loves and cares about each one of us, whether it’s Chris Jones, a future Hall of Famer, or a rookie on the practice squad. He wants every person to succeed, and he runs a program that reflects that.”
And the culture that Spagnuolo has created was no accident.
Quinn, his former teammate, knows what Spagnuolo has may be a little surprising, but not necessarily shocking.
“Is it a little bit of a surprise? I would say yes,” Quinn said. “But on the flip side, I’d say, through his hard work, great personality and knowing how to treat people well, he’s been able to put that all together.”
From an undersized wide receiver at a small school in Massachusetts to one of the best assistant coaches of all time, Spagnuolo has remained not only a good teacher of the game, but a leader of men. The same characteristics that he showed as a player shine through the defensive units he heads. He may be a history-maker in the NFL, but according to his former teammates, “Spags” will always be a part of the Springfield College family.
“He’s one of many, that is one of a kind,” Quinn said, “who is one of a kind.”
Photo courtesy of CBS Sports