Tony Sparano: A Humble Man Who Transformed The Dolphins and The NFL

Its hard to believe the head coach of a team that had the best turnaround from a one-win season in NFL history could be under-appreciated, but Tony Sparano is. So why is Sparano under-appreciated?

Sparano had to share the spotlight with football mastermind Bill Parcells. He had to share the spotlight as new owner Stephen Ross immersed himself into the Dolphins organization. He had to share the spotlight as the Dolphins success was attributed to Joey Porter and Chad Pennington’s re-emergence.

Not much of the spotlight was left for Tony Sparano. Sure, he got some credit, but not nearly enough.

The best turnaround in league history. From one win to 11 wins. That just does not happen. When teams hit league bottom, they stay there. Just ask the Lions.

Not even the Dolphins 10 win improvement could win Sparano the AP Coach of the Year award. Mike Smith won that award in Atlanta with a seven win improvement. An award that surely would have been Sparano’s had the spotlight been his, or had he been a flashier coach.

Sparano is not that type of coach. In an age where coaches and owners have become celebrities themselves Sparano prefers to go about his work with little fanfare.

Trying to find information on Sparano is difficult; there just is not much to go on.

So how did this little-known first-year coach transform the NFL in 2008?

He decided to run the Wildcat.

The Dolphins were having a rough start to the season. They were 0-2 and heading back from a crushing defeat in Arizona.

What was Tony Sparano thinking about? He wanted Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams on the field at the same time. Two of the best running backs in the league; oh the havoc they could wreak if used right.

Wildcat.

Somehow it clicked for Sparano. He gave the orders to his assistants.

“I called David [Lee] to the front of the plane and said, 'Look. Here's what I want: Tomorrow when we get back, I want three runs, maybe a pass out of this Wildcat package” Sparano commented after the idea came to him on a charter flight home.

Lee, the quarterbacks coach, would draw up those plays. The Dolphins would then go to New England and rock the Patriots world.

The league took notice of the Dolphins, even if the league did not take notice of Tony Sparano.

Sparano’s idea forced teams to spend extra time preparing for the Wildcat. It forced them to live in fear of Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams running wild around the field. That was before the flea-flickers and end-arounds were even introduced.

How much did the Wildcat help the Dolphins? While their success can not be fully attributed to it, the Dolphins went 11-3 after its introduction.

That has to make Dolphins fans feel excited about next season.

Sure, Bill Parcells is considered the mastermind behind the Dolphins success. He put the pieces together, but Sparano was the one who utilized them.

Parcells can only be given so much credit for what the Dolphins did. Sparano was the one on the sidelines, not Parcells. Parcells did not even accompany the team for away games.

I am in no way trying to take away from what Parcells has done because he did amazing things for the Dolphins. One of those amazing things was bringing in Sparano.

Sparano spent four years under Parcells in Dallas, as did Paul Pasqualoni.

After being hired Sparano was responsible for bringing in Pasqualoni to be defensive coordinator. Pasqualoni would be the one to implement the Dolphins 3-4 defense that would allow Joey Porter’s resurgence.

So with little attention Sparano changed the Dolphins, and he changed the NFL. While he may not be well known, he is well respected both within the Dolphins and outside the Dolphins.

“The guys passionate. He loves to come out here and watch his players play, and he throws himself completely into it” remarked team leader and quarterback Chad Pennington.

The Dolphins have three more years of Sparano. Parcells is also under contract for three more years, but a clause that was activated when Wayne Huizenga sold the Dolphins to Ross would allow Parcells to leave whenever he pleases.

The Dolphins have great management, and with the leadership of Sparano they should have continued success.

The following quote would not mean as much unless I put it in context. A rookie coach taking the reins of a 1-15 team, and what did Sparano say?

“I’m not afraid of challenges. I look forward to them.”