EX-DOLPHINS COACH TONY SPARANO DIES AT 56
Maybe it was because he was playing with house money. Maybe it was the faith he had in his players.
Whatever the case, Tony Sparano had countless reasons to toss his “Wildcat” formation in the trash the morning of Sept. 21, 2008. But he chose not to.
And today, the Miami Dolphins and their fans remain grateful.
Sparano was remembered Sunday when it was learned that the former Dolphins coach had unexpectedly died at age 56. The cause of death was uncer- tain, although ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reported that he complained of chest pains and visited a hospital for testing Thursday before being released.
A source told Mortensen that Sparano’s wife found him unconscious Sunday morning as they were preparing for church.
Sparano led the Dolphins to one of their greatest moments in recent history, turning around a team that had gone a franchise-worst 1-15 in 2007 under Cam Cameron to capture what is their most recent AFC East championship in 2008 — all because of a monumental 38-13 upset of the Patriots in New England to end an 11-game road losing streak.
The fortunes of the game — and Miami’s season — turned on a formation in which running back Ronnie Brown took direct snaps from center, confounding the Patriots as Brown ran for four touchdowns off six direct snaps. While the Patriots might contend it never should have happened, some Dolphins themselves tended to agree, because Brown told The Post on Sunday that the formation fizzled in practice the week prior.
The word among some Dolphins that week? “Y’all might want to throw this thing out,” Brown recalled.
Even Brown himself stepped into the Wildcat that afternoon with trepidation.
“When it was first called, I was like, ‘Uh-oh. Don’t mess it up. Don’t fumble the snap,’” Brown said.
Maybe it was because the Dolphins were coming off such a poor season, or maybe it was the belief his players could make it work, but whatever the reason, Sparano forged ahead with a formation that would soon be copied around the NFL.
“Just morally, he’s always been a great person,” Brown said of Sparano. “Playing for a coach like that, you knew he was rooting for you as a person and as a football player. He was vocal. He always gave it to you how it really was. He just was a great person to play for.
“Off the field, you could just tell about family, how passionate he was and how that was a big part of him. As a coach, he genuinely really wanted you to do well and you could sense that. It makes it easy to play for a coach like that.”
Sparano coached the Dolphins for three-plus seasons, going 29-32.
“We were saddened to learn of Tony Sparano’s tragic and unexpected passing today,” Dolphins owner Stephen Ross said in a statement. “Tony made an indelible impact on our team’s history and his toughness, grit and leadership were evident to everyone who had the chance to coach with or play for him. On behalf of the entire Dolphins organization, we extend our most heartfelt condolences to his wife Jeanette and the entire Sparano family.”
Dolphins players past and present took to social media to express sadness.
“I appreciate you for believing in me and giving me a chance to play in such a tough league,” safety Reshad Jones wrote on Instagram. His post, with a photo of Sparano from his Dolphins days, was liked by former Dolphins Michael Thomas and Mike Pouncey.
Pouncey also wrote, “This guy was more than a football coach — he was a husband, a father, a leader and besides being a great football coach he was a great man. Thank you coach for believing in me. Gone way too soon.”
Sparano coached in the NFL for 20 years, starting as a quality-control coach in Cleveland. This summer, he would have entered his third season as offensive line coach under Mike Zimmer with the Minnesota Vikings. He also served as Oakland’s interim head coach in 2014, going 3-9.
In Miami, where he was hand-picked by Bill Parcells off the Dallas Cowboys’ coaching staff, Sparano became the first coach in NFL history to reach the postseason with a team that had won only once the previous year.
After starting his rookie season as an NFL head coach 0-2, Sparano’s bold Wildcat experiment allowed Brown to score on runs of 2, 15, 5 and 62 yards against New England. He finished the day with 17 carries for 113 yards and still credits Sparano.
“It didn’t have as much success during the week,” Brown said. “For us to take a shot in New England and take a chance on doing it, one, it just says a lot about who he was and the competitive spirit in him. But also, having the faith and confidence in us as an offense to be able to come out and pull it out against a team like New England, who’s rarely surprised by anything on the football field just in terms in preparation. So for us to have the success it had, that was surprising. But at the same time, just for him to give us the opportunity, that was a big shot in the arm in itself.”
The Dolphins knew they had the Patriots off balance by what they heard across the line of scrimmage. Brown said one linebacker would yell, “Slide right!” while another was yelling, “Slide left!”
“That was exciting, when you hear that communication from those guys,” Brown said. “Just beyond that, those guys not being on the same page, and then to come out another series and still see that they hadn’t made the adjustments, that was huge for us on offense.”
It remains a time fans still bring up when they run into Brown on the street.
“Everyone remembers the Wildcat,” Brown said. “What people say is, ‘Hey, remember that game in New England?’”
Sparano is survived by wife Jeanette, sons Tony and Andrew, daughter Ryan Leigh and four grandchildren.