Foge Fazio

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Serafino "Foge" Fazio (born 1938 in Dawmont, West Virginia) is a former NFL 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 his hometown in Western Pennsylvania 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.^[1]. 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.^[2] He retired from the Browns in 2003, but was hired as a defensive consultant by Mike Tice of the Vikings in the 2005 season; his influence helped the team turn around a dismal season.^{[citation needed]}

Fazio now lives in Pittsburgh with his wife, Norma. They have two children: Kristen (resides in Pittsburgh) and Vincent (resides in Salt Lake City).

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Preceded by Jackie Sherrill	University of Pittsburgh Head Football Coach 1982–1985	Succeeded by Mike Gottfried
Preceded by Romeo Crennel	Cleveland Browns Defensive Coordinator 2001–2002	Succeeded by Dave Campo

[edit] References

1. ^ Fazio Joins Notre Dame. New York Times. Retrieved on July 16, 2006.
2. ^ Meet Foge Fazio. Cleveland Browns Official Web Site. Retrieved on July 16, 2006.