Remembering former Miami Dolphins coach Tony Sparano
By Brian Miller
On Sunday it was reported that former Miami Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano had passed away from an apparent heart attack. At the age of 56 the NFL community is still shocked.
In 2008 Bill Parcells took over the Dolphins and Tony Sparano was named head coach. He would turn the team around in one season and lead them to the playoffs and the last AFC East title for the Dolphins. While his journey as head coach was marred with losing seasons and off-field strife, no one will ever deny that Sparano had a grasp on the team.
This isn’t about Sparano’s coaching tenure. It’s not about his win/loss record or his problems with Jeff Ireland and Stephen Ross. This is about what I personally witnessed. What I saw is a man that strolled into the Dolphins team meeting room with a gold jacket and an attitude. And I immediately liked him.
It was 2008 when I first met the Dolphins newest head coach. He strolled down the side aisle in the team meeting room. His gold jacket was unbuttoned and his dark glasses were firmly fixed to his face. They were not a fashion statement but a medical need for an eye affliction. He grabbed the mic, stood for a second in front of a group of Dolphins fan-site webmasters and simply said, “What do you want from me?”.
It was my second year at the event and I sat on my hands almost daring myself not to speak. I didn’t want to be the first. I wasn’t. Midway up the room Paul Brothers of ShedDawgs.com raised his hand. Paul is a newscaster in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Back then he was an aspiring sports broadcaster.
The mic didn’t move and Sparano barely shifted his stance. “What?” he said. Paul lowered his hand and simply said, “You have been here for less than 10 minutes and I am already afraid of you”,. The room broke into laughter but a smile never cracked Sparano’s face. He simply turned and said, “Good, then It’s working!” The mood shifted to a more relaxed tone after that, even from Sparano who loosened up.
If I were to tell you what he said during his 10-15 minutes of time he spent with us I would be lying because frankly I don’t remember. I do remember the last time he stood in front of us though.