The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
Detroit Lions coach visits alma mater
VERONA, N.Y. >> Once a Patriot. Now a Lion. Always a Red Devil.
Vernon-Verona-Sherrill Central School alum, and current Detroit Lions head coach Matt Patricia, surprised his alma mater with a visit on Friday, Feb. 8, where he spoke to students in the gymnasiumwhere he played trumpet “right there, in that very center court circle.”
Patricia described his pathway to the NFL, starting with the $150,000 engineering job he turned down to coach for $5,000.
“I called my mom and said, ‘I got the job… but I’m not go- ing to take it, I’m going to go coach’,” Patricia said. “There was dead silence on the other end of the line.”
Through a series of collegiate coaching positions paying less than $10,000, Patricia kept focus on his dreams. He had to sell his car and cash in his 401K to continue coaching, at one point riding his bike back and forth to work.
“Sometimes I hoped that a car would hit me, so maybe that person would drive me to work,” he said to laughter.
His dedication and hard work paid off when he received a call to work for the NewEngland Patriots, where he received three Super Bowl rings, two as a defensive coordinator.
“Everyone on that team worked very hard at their job,” he said.
He stressed the importance of hard work and building your skillset, as he noted that people who rose onthe accomplishments of others were quickly found out.
He ended his speech talking about his time in Detroit and how blessed he was to have the position.
“People told me I would never make it to the NFL,” Patricia said, “but if I was going to bet on anybody it was going to be me.”
At the conclusion of his speech, varsity football coach Gary Oliver and the varsity cap-
tains presented the Lions head coach with a VVS helmet, which he said he would put right in his office.
Superintendent Martha Group then presented him with a bag full of VVS items, including VVS FFA maple syrup.
VVS Senior Gavin Miller was particularly struck by the presentation.
“That was the most powerful speech I’ve ever heard,” he said. “It just makes me think that I should follow my passion and never say I can’t do something. That was amazing - and when he does win a Super Bowl, I’ll be able to say he went to my school and I got a picture with him.”
Group was proud to introduce Patricia to the students and faculty.
“We were honored to be able to welcome him back to his alma mater,” Group said. “His talk resonated very well among our student and faculty. He illustrated for us all the importance of academics, character, work ethic and pursuing your passion, and we are very pleased that he was able to take time out of his very busy schedule to speak with our students. I can’t say enough about his reception to the students and how gracious he was in spending time with individual students for photographs and interactions. We look forward to seeing him again in the future.”