Paul Pasqualoni
Paul Pasqualoni went 151–94–1 on the field as a head coach, 1982–2013, at Western Connecticut, Syracuse and UConn; 145–94–1 officially, after the NCAA vacated six wins (2004). Share
Five seasons our game records don’t credit to him come from the coach’s Wikipedia article: 1982–86 at Western Connecticut. They’re marked in the table.
- Record
- 145–94–1 official; 151–94–1 on the field
- Seasons
- 22
- Schools
- 3
- Final AP top 10
- 1 season
- Best season
- 1992 10–2, No. 6
Season by season
| Season | School | Record | Conference finish | Bowl | AP final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Western Connecticut * | 2–7 | T–8th | |||
| 1983 | Western Connecticut * | 7–3 | 4th | |||
| 1984 | Western Connecticut * | 9–1 | 2nd | |||
| 1985 | Western Connecticut * | 10–2 | T–1st | NCAA Division III First Round L | ||
| 1986 | Western Connecticut * | 6–4 | ||||
| 1987–90: not a college head coach | ||||||
| 1991 | Syracuse | 10–2 | Hall of Fame Bowl W | 11 | ||
| 1992 | Syracuse | 10–2 | Fiesta Bowl W | 6 | ||
| 1993 | Syracuse | 6–4–1 | 5th | |||
| 1994 | Syracuse | 7–4 | T–3rd | |||
| 1995 | Syracuse | 9–3 | 3rd | Gator Bowl W | 19 | |
| 1996 | Syracuse | 9–3 | T–1st | Liberty Bowl W | 21 | |
| 1997 | Syracuse | 9–4 | 1st | Fiesta Bowl L | 21 | |
| 1998 | Syracuse | 8–4 | 1st | Orange Bowl L | 25 | |
| 1999 | Syracuse | 7–5 | T–3rd | Music City Bowl W | ||
| 2000 | Syracuse | 6–5 | T–3rd | |||
| 2001 | Syracuse | 10–3 | 2nd | Insight.com Bowl W | 14 | |
| 2002 | Syracuse | 4–8 | T–6th | |||
| 2003 | Syracuse | 6–6 | T–6th | |||
| 2004 | Syracuse | 6–6 (0–6 official) | T–1st | Champs Sports Bowl L | ||
| 2005–10: not a college head coach | ||||||
| 2011 | UConn | 5–7 | 6th | |||
| 2012 | UConn | 5–7 | T–6th | |||
| 2013 | UConn coached four of 12 games | 0–4 | ||||
Each season links to the team’s season page; bowls and playoff games link to the game. Conference finishes from the Wikipedia article’s record table. * A season our game records don’t credit to him; its record is the article’s.
Players he coached
Keith BulluckNo. 30 pick, 2000- Tebucky JonesNo. 22 pick, 1998
Every player from his seasons with a Heisman top-five finish, a national award, consensus All-America honors or a first-round pick. Photos: Wikimedia Commons, free licenses; credits on each player’s page.
How his teams did
| Kind of game | Games | Record | Won |
|---|---|---|---|
| Against ranked teams | 54 | 22–32 | 41% |
| Against top-10 teams | 21 | 4–17 | 19% |
| Against rivals | 62 | 46–16 | 74% |
| Conference games | 109 | 67–42 | 61% |
| Bowls and playoffs | 9 | 6–3 | 67% |
| Decided by 8 points or fewer | 65 | 32–32–1 | 50% |
| At home | 99 | 68–31 | 69% |
| On the road | 85 | 42–42–1 | 50% |
| At neutral sites | 11 | 7–4 | 64% |
| As our Elo’s favorite | 129 | 94–34–1 | 73% |
| As our Elo’s underdog | 66 | 23–43 | 35% |
His own 195 games on file, 1991–2013, as played (vacated wins counted, ties as half a win). Ranks are the AP poll going into the game; rivals are the ones either program’s Wikipedia article names; favorite and underdog by our own Elo rating, which reads only scores.
Against other head coaches
| Coach | Record | Their schools | Games | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frank Beamer 1992–2003 | 6–6 | Virginia Tech | 12 | |
| Don Nehlen 1991–2000 | 7–3 | West Virginia | 10 | |
| Tom O’Brien 1997–2012 | 5–4 | Boston College, NC State | 9 | |
| Walt Harris 1997–2004 | 6–2 | Pittsburgh | 8 | |
| Steve Logan 1992–2001 | 5–2 | East Carolina | 7 | |
| Bobby Wallace 1998–2004 | 5–2 | Temple | 7 | |
| Butch Davis 1995–2000 | 2–4 | Miami | 6 | |
| Doug Graber 1991–1995 | 5–0 | Rutgers | 5 | |
| Ron Dickerson 1993–1997 | 5–0 | Temple | 5 | |
| Terry Shea 1996–2000 | 4–1 | Rutgers | 5 |
Paul Pasqualoni’s record against the head coaches he met three or more times, from the games on file, as played.
Most-faced opponents
| Opponent | Games | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Rutgersseries | 16 | 13–3 |
| Pittsburghseries | 16 | 13–3 |
| Templeseries | 15 | 12–3 |
| West Virginiaseries | 15 | 8–7 |
| Boston Collegeseries | 14 | 9–5 |
| Virginia Techseries | 12 | 6–6 |
| Miamiseries | 12 | 2–10 |
| East Carolinaseries | 8 | 5–3 |
Career
| Years | Team | Job | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972–75 | Cheshire HS (CT) high school | Assistant coach | |
| 1976–79 | Southern Connecticut | Assistant coach | |
| 1980–81 | Southern Connecticut | Defensive coordinator | |
| 1982–86 | Western Connecticut | Head coach | |
| 1987–90 | Syracuse | Assistant coach | |
| 1991–2004 | Syracuse | Head coach | |
| 2005 | Dallas Cowboys NFL | Tight ends coach | |
| 2006–07 | Dallas Cowboys NFL | Linebackers coach | |
| 2008–09 | Miami Dolphins NFL | Defensive coordinator | |
| 2010 | Dallas Cowboys NFL | Defensive line coach | |
| 2011–13 | Connecticut/UConn | Head coach | |
| 2014 | Chicago Bears NFL | Defensive line coach | |
| 2015 | Houston Texans NFL | Defensive line coach | |
| 2016–17 | Boston College | Defensive line coach | |
| 2018–19 | Detroit Lions NFL | Defensive coordinator | |
| 2020–21 | Florida | Special assistant to the head coach | |
| 2022 | Carolina Panthers NFL | Defensive line coach | |
| 2024 | Memphis Showboats UFL | Linebackers coach | |
| 2025 | Rhode Island | Defensive analyst | |
| 2025 | Avon Old Farms | Defensive line coach |
Every job as the infobox of his Wikipedia article lists it (CC BY-SA), assistant jobs included.
Coaching tree
Worked under
- Dick MacPhersonSyracuse
- Bill ParcellsDallas Cowboys
- Marc TrestmanChicago Bears
- Bill O’BrienHouston Texans
- Steve AddazioBoston College
- Matt PatriciaDetroit Lions
- Dan MullenFlorida
- Greg KnoxFlorida
- Matt RhuleCarolina Panthers
- John DeFilippoMemphis Showboats
- Jim FlemingRhode Island
Assistants who became head coaches
- Chris RipponWestern Connecticut
- George DeLeoneSouthern Connecticut State
- Kevin CoyleAtlanta Legends
- Ed OrgeronOle Miss, USC, LSU
- Steve AddazioTemple, Boston College, Colorado State
- Dan MullenMississippi State, Florida, UNLV
- Jerry AzzinaroWestern New England
- Kevin KellyGeorgetown, New England (NH)
- Jim HofherBuffalo, Cornell
- Matt PatriciaDetroit Lions
- Jim ReidMassachusetts, Richmond, VMI
- Andrew BreinerFordham
- and 3 more
Worked under (11)
| Head coach | Team | Years | His job | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dick MacPherson | Syracuse | 1987–90 | Assistant coach | |
| Bill Parcells | Dallas Cowboys NFL | 2005–06 | 2005: tight ends coach; 2006: linebackers coach | |
| Marc Trestman | Chicago Bears NFL | 2014 | Defensive line coach | |
| Bill O’Brien | Houston Texans NFL | 2015 | Defensive line coach | |
| Steve Addazio | Boston College | 2016–17 | Defensive line coach | |
| Matt Patricia | Detroit Lions NFL | 2018–19 | Defensive coordinator | |
| Dan Mullen | Florida | 2020–21 | Special assistant to the head coach | |
| Greg Knox | Florida | 2021 | Special assistant to the head coach | |
| Matt Rhule | Carolina Panthers NFL | 2022 | Defensive line coach | |
| John DeFilippo | Memphis Showboats pro | 2024 | Linebackers coach | |
| Jim Fleming | Rhode Island | 2025 | Defensive analyst |
Coached under him, later head coaches (15)
| Coach | With him | Head coach at | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Rippon | Western Connecticut, 1982–83: graduate assistant; 1984–86: defensive coordinator; Syracuse, 1993: linebackers coach; 1994: defensive ends coach; 1995–98: special teams and linebackers coach; 1999–2003: defensive coordinator; 2004: assistant head coach and special teams coach | Western Connecticut | |
| George DeLeone | Syracuse, 1991–96: offensive coordinator and offensive line coach; 1998: associate head coach and defensive coordinator; 1999: associate head coach, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach; 2000–04: associate head coach, offensive coordinator and offensive line coach; UConn, 2011–12: offensive coordinator and tight ends coach; 2013: associate head coach and offensive line coach | Southern Connecticut State | |
| Kevin Coyle | Syracuse, 1991–93: defensive coordinator | Atlanta Legends | |
| Ed Orgeron | Syracuse, 1995–97: defensive line coach | Ole Miss, USC, LSU | |
| Steve Addazio | Syracuse, 1995–96: tight ends coach and assistant offensive line; 1997–98: offensive line coach | Temple, Boston College, Colorado State | |
| Dan Mullen | Syracuse, 1998: graduate assistant | Mississippi State, Florida, UNLV | |
| Jerry Azzinaro | Syracuse, 1999, 2003: defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator | Western New England | |
| Kevin Kelly | Syracuse, 1999: defensive backs coach | Georgetown, New England (NH) | |
| Jim Hofher | Syracuse, 2000: quarterbacks coach | Buffalo, Cornell | |
| Matt Patricia | Syracuse, 2001–03: graduate assistant | Detroit Lions | |
| Jim Reid | Syracuse, 2004: defensive line coach | Massachusetts, Richmond, VMI | |
| Andrew Breiner | UConn, 2011: graduate assistant | Fordham | |
| Don Brown | UConn, 2011–12: defensive coordinator and cornerbacks coach | Plymouth State, Northeastern, Massachusetts | |
| Joe Moorhead | UConn, 2011: quarterbacks coach | Mississippi State, Akron, Fordham | |
| T. J. Weist | UConn, 2013: offensive coordinator; 2013: offensive coordinator | UConn, South Florida |
Other assistants under him (11)
| Coach | With him | |
|---|---|---|
| Kevin Rogers | Syracuse, 1991–94: quarterbacks coach; 1995–96: assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach; 1997–98: offensive coordinator, assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach | |
| Phil Elmassian | Syracuse, 1991–92: defensive backs coach | |
| Norm Gerber | Syracuse, 1994–97: defensive coordinator | |
| Teryl Austin | Syracuse, 1996–98: defensive assistant | |
| John Hevesy | Syracuse, 1997: graduate assistant | |
| Brian Schottenheimer | Syracuse, 1999: wide receivers coach | |
| Brian Stewart | Syracuse, 2001: defensive backs coach | |
| Steve Dunlap | Syracuse, 2001: linebackers coach; 2002–03: assistant head coach and linebackers coach; 2004: defensive coordinator | |
| Tim Walton | Syracuse, 2002: defensive backs coach | |
| Clayton White | UConn, 2011–12: special teams coordinator and running backs coach | |
| Hank Hughes | UConn, 2013: defensive coordinator |
From coaches’ Wikipedia infoboxes (CC BY-SA) and each season’s article for its coordinators: an assistant’s seasons at a school count under its head coach in our records; jobs in the NFL and elsewhere, under the head coach whose own article lists the job that year. Names without a page here link to their Wikipedia articles.
Pay
| Year | School | Job | Contract pay | State payroll | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | UConn | head coachbonuses up to $116,666 | $1,700,000 USA Today via Leeds | $1,629,135 | |
| 2012 | UConn | head coachbonuses up to $115,625 | $1,600,000 USA Today via Leeds | $1,613,920 | |
| 2011 | UConn | head coachbonuses up to $114,583 | $1,500,000 USA Today via Leeds | $908,621 |
The same USA Today database for 2006–16, from Michael Leeds’ replication data on Harvard Dataverse (CC0): the season’s contract pay.
Connecticut’s state payroll (Open Data Portal): what the state actually paid in the calendar year, salary and special payments together.
Contract pay and the state payroll differ by design: one is the season’s contract, the other what the state paid in a calendar or fiscal year, so a December hire’s short first year, bonuses and camp money paid as special payments, and pay that ran on after he left all show in the payroll.
Pay of public employees in their public job only: head coaches, and assistants in the seasons our records name them a coordinator, at public universities.
How he coached
Pasqualoni’s teams went for it on 13% of fourth downs and on 27% of those where the model said go for it, passed on 41% of plays and took 25.2 seconds a play, in 2004.
| Season | Went for it on fourth | When the model said go | Pass rate | Seconds a play | EPA a play | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 11 g | 12 of 94 13% | 27% | 41% | 25.2 | −0.14 |
His seasons as a head coach from 2004 on, from ESPN’s play by play: fourth downs where he went for it out of every fourth-down decision; how often he went when SportsDataverse’s fourth-down model said going for it was the better call; the share of his offense’s plays that were passes; seconds of game clock per offensive play (lower is faster); and expected points added per offensive play (EPA, a measure of how much each play moved the offense toward points). The season in progress counts its games so far. SportsDataverse’s coach tendencies, from ESPN’s play by play; the EPA and the fourth-down model are SportsDataverse’s.