Patriots to induct longtime assistant coach Dante Scarnecchia into team Hall of Fame

FOXBORO, Mass — The Patriots are making sure a longtime coach that can match even Bill Belichick for Super Bowl appearances in New England will be enshrined in the team’s Hall of Fame.

Team owner Robert Kraft announced Thursday that Dante Scarnecchia will be inducted into the New England Patriots Hall of Fame as a contributor.

Kraft made the announcement during the Patriots Hall of Fame nomination committee meeting, which “Scar” himself is a member of. ESPN’s Mike Reiss reports that the 75-year-old received a standing ovation from the committee members in attendance.

Scarnecchia has been on the sidelines for 10 of New England’s 11 Super Bowl appearances. Scarnecchia was the Patriots’ special teams and tight ends coach from 1982 to 1988, including the Patriots’ Super Bowl XX squad. A brief tenure as a defensive assistant for the 1996 Super Bowl team preluded Scar’s career-defining time as the Patriot’s offensive-line maestro during their dynasty.

The only Super Bowl Scarnecchia didn’t coach in, XLIX, came during his two-year foray into retirement before football (and three more Super Bowls) called him back into service.

Scar transformed all manner of o-lineman into more-than-capable defenders of Brady’s pocket- be it a first-round draft pick like Nate Solder and Logan Mankins or a college wrestler like Stephen Neal.

“Dante Scarnecchia is recognized as one of the greatest assistant coaches of all time,” said Kraft in a statement.“ He is the first Patriots assistant coach to receive this honor and I can’t think of a more deserving person. You would be hard pressed to find anyone who made greater on-field contributions over his 34 seasons with us, which propelled us to 10 of our 11 Super Bowl appearances and helped us claim five of our six Super Bowl championships. He earned the respect of his fellow coaches and players, many of whom credited Dante for making them the best they could be. I am proud that his legacy will be preserved in our Hall of Fame forever.”

The Patriots are the only team to have a Hall of Fame committee nominate three former players or head coaches for fans to vote on. However, contributors to the franchise that don’t fall into those categories have to be formally selected by Kraft.

Scarnecchia is just the fourth person to be selected by Kraft as a contributor, joining team founder Billy Sullivan, former play-by-play announcer Gil Santos and longtime cheerleader director Tracy Sormanti.

Scarnecchia will also be honored in Canton this summer. Last month, he was selected for the Award of Excellence award from the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

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