Chris Scelfo

Chris Scelfo
Biographical details
Born (1963-09-30) September 30, 1963 (age 61)
Abbeville, Louisiana, U.S.
Playing career
1981–1984Northeast Louisiana
Position(s)Offensive lineman
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1986–1987Northeast Louisiana (GA)
1988–1989Oklahoma (GA)
1990–1992Marshall (OL)
1993–1995Marshall (OC/OL)
1996–1998Georgia (assistant HC / OL)
1998–2006Tulane
2008–2014Atlanta Falcons (TE)
2017Houston (OL)
2018Charlotte (OL)
2019Arizona Hotshots (OL)
2020DC Defenders (OL)
Head coaching record
Overall37–57
Bowls2–0

Christopher Joseph Scelfo (born September 30, 1963) is an American football coach. He was most recently the offensive line coach for the DC Defenders of the XFL. He was the offensive line coach and run-game coordinator for the Arizona Hotshots of the Alliance of American Football, having previously served in a similar position with the Houston Cougars and Charlotte 49ers. He previously served as the tight ends coach for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He served as head coach at Tulane from 1998 to 2006, including in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and amassed a 37–57 record. He previously held assistant coaching positions at Marshall and Georgia.

Early life

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Scelfo was born in Abbeville, Louisiana on September 30, 1963,[1] and later lived in New Iberia, Louisiana, where he attended New Iberia Senior High.[1] He went on to college at Northeast Louisiana University.[1] He played football in high school and college, and was a three-year letterwinner at both institutions.[1] In college, he also served as the team captain.[1] Scelfo graduated with a bachelor's degree from Northeast Louisiana in 1986 and received a master's degree from there in 1988.[1]

Coaching career

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Scelfo became a graduate assistant at his alma mater from 1986 to 1987, then in the same position at the University of Oklahoma from 1988 to 1989.[1] He then served as the offensive line coach at Marshall University from 1990 to 1995, and also held the position of offensive coordinator in his last three seasons there.[1] Scelfo then spent three seasons at the University of Georgia as assistant head and offensive line coach.

Tulane University in New Orleans hired Scelfo to replace Tommy Bowden as its 36th coach mid-season on December 7, 1998.[1] The only game he coached that year was the Liberty Bowl, where he led the Green Wave to victory over Brigham Young.[1] With the win, Tulane finished the season with a perfect 12–0 record and the Conference USA championship.[2] In 2002, Scelfo led Tulane to the 2002 Hawaii Bowl, where they defeated June Jones' high-octane Hawaii Warriors.[3] The Green Wave surprised observers by recovering an onside kick on the first play of the game, and went on to win, 36–28.[4]

After Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in August 2005, the Tulane football team was forced to play all 11 of its games on the road, each in a different city, which may have contributed to the Green Wave's 2–9 record.[5] Ole Miss head coach Ed Orgeron contacted a Tulane assistant about players transferring in the wake of the hurricane.[6][7] Scelfo accused Ole Miss of tampering and said:

"In the worst natural disaster in the history of the United States, you've got to stoop pretty low to do that. You're lower than dirt ... I'm not going to tolerate that. There's people in our business that don't belong in our business."[6][8][9]

The Southeastern Conference investigated the matter and exonerated Ole Miss of any wrongdoing.[7]

After failing to compile a winning season since 2002, Tulane fired Scelfo on November 29, 2006.[5] His final record at Tulane was 37–57.[10] In January 2008, the Atlanta Falcons of the NFL hired Scelfo as its tight ends coach.[11]

He later became the offensive line coach for the Charlotte 49ers and Houston Cougars.[12][13] In 2019, he returned to the professional level as the offensive line coach and run-game coordinator for the Arizona Hotshots of the Alliance of American Football,[14] followed by the DC Defenders of the XFL in 2020.[15]

Personal life

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Scelfo is married to wife Nancy née Caldwell, with whom he has a son and a daughter.[1] His brother, Frank Scelfo, is currently the head coach at Southeastern Louisiana University.[16] His nephew, Anthony Scelfo, played as a quarterback at Tulane.[16] Scelfo's son, Joe Scelfo, played center at the University of South Alabama from 2012 to 2015.[17] Following Joe's junior year, he graduate transferred to NC State University for his final year.[16] He signed as an undrafted free agent to the Houston Texans following the 2017 NFL draft.[18]

Head coaching record

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Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs Coaches# AP°
Tulane Green Wave (Conference USA) (1998–2006)
1998 Tulane 1–0* 0–0 1st W Liberty 7 7
1999 Tulane 3–8 1–5 T–6th
2000 Tulane 6–5 3–4 T–5th
2001 Tulane 3–9 1–6 9th
2002 Tulane 8–5 4–4 5th W Hawaii
2003 Tulane 5–7 3–5 8th
2004 Tulane 5–6 3–5 6th
2005 Tulane 2–9 1–5 6th (West)
2006 Tulane 4–8 2–5 6th (West)
Tulane: 37–57 18–39
Total: 37–57
      National championship         Conference title         Conference division title or championship game berth

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Player Bio: Chris Scelfo Archived September 7, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, Tulane University, retrieved June 27, 2010.
  2. ^ Tulane Game by Game Results Archived May 22, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, College Football Data Warehouse, retrieved June 27, 2010.
  3. ^ Mel Kiper Jr., Can Tulane slow high-octane Hawaii?, ESPN, December 25, 2002.
  4. ^ FOOTBALL: COLLEGE ROUNDUP; All-Around Effort Helps Pitt Stop Oregon State, The New York Times, December 27, 2002.
  5. ^ a b Tulane's rebuilding in football to go on without Scelfo, ESPN, November 29, 2006.
  6. ^ a b Orgeron defends conversation with Tulane aide; Mississippi coach discussed possible transfers from New Orleans school Archived 2011-07-14 at the Wayback Machine, MSNBC, November 28, 2005.
  7. ^ a b Ole Miss' Ed Orgeron defends conversation with Tulane coach about possible transfers, The Tuscaloosa News, November 29, 2005.
  8. ^ Tulane at end of the road; Katrina forced Green Wave into 11-stadium fall tour, The Dallas Morning News, November 25, 2005.
  9. ^ INSIGHT BID ENDS RUTGERS' DROUGHT, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, November 29, 2005.
  10. ^ All-Time Coaching Records By Year Archived 2010-10-31 at the Wayback Machine, College Football Data Warehouse, retrieved June 27, 2010.
  11. ^ Falcons hire Scelfo to coach tight ends, Sporting News, January 30, 2008.
  12. ^ "Scelfo O-Line Coach; Adams Assistant Head Coach". University of North Carolina at Charlotte Department of Athletics. April 13, 2017. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
  13. ^ UH hires Chris Scelfo as offensive line coach by Joseph Duarte. Houston Chronicle, 4 Feb 2017. Retrieved 2017-02-05.
  14. ^ "Arizona Hotshots Week One Game Time Changed". Our Sports Central. February 2, 2019. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  15. ^ Samuels, Doug (May 29, 2019). "Source: Pep Hamilton filling XFL Washington, DC staff with familiar college names". Football Scoop. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  16. ^ a b c Spring wrapup: Taking stock of football landscape, USA Today, May 10, 2007.
  17. ^ "Joseph Scelfo - Football - University of South Alabama Athletics".
  18. ^ The Charlotte Observer (subscription required)
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