In honor of Italian American Heritage Month 2023, we will discuss Nick Sirianni and what he has contributed to the NFL as a head coach and through his coaching tree. He is one of the two Italian-American head coaches in the NFL. John Harbaugh is the other coach of Italian descent.

Last season, Sirianni brought his team to the Super Bowl, only losing the game by three points against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.

It is important to honor the contributions that Italian Americans have made to the NFL. The Italian community in the United States has faced much adversity based on prejudice in the past and is still currently a protected class in certain locations around America. For this reason, it feels particularly crucial to honor Italian-American Heritage Month within the context of the NFL.

Who Is Nick Sirianni?

Nick Sirianni is the head coach of the Eagles. He grew up in a small town in New York, West Ellicott, with his mother, Amy, and his father, Fran. Nick is Italian, with roots in Calabria.

Nick Sirianni

Nick Sirianni playing ball in college – Philadelphia Eagles

 

Sirianni played football in high school and played in college for one of the least well-known institutions ever, the University of Mount Union. The wide receiver would start for three years in college and play one year in the American Indoor Football League.

Nick Sirianni’s career was curtailed a bit due to serious injuries he sustained in his sophomore year of college. He had a calf injury and a health condition called compartment syndrome.

If you aren’t familiar with that particular condition, compartment syndrome is the increased pressure of a compartment in the body that reduces blood supply to tissue in that area. The arm has two “compartments,” the arm and the forearm. The leg also has two compartments: the leg and the thigh.

It’s not clear which compartment was problematic for Sirianni, but it likely could have been tied to his calf injury. Compartment syndrome can have particularly dangerous health impacts and is often quite painful. If the root cause of the syndrome in a compartment is not discovered, it can result in necrosis of the body part and get worse from there.

 

 

Nick found a way to stay in football without risking any other injuries. He became a coach at his alma mater and at one other college before entering the NFL as a coach in 2009. He has been a coach on the offensive side of the ball throughout his entire career. He became the Colts OC in 2018 for three seasons. From there, he became head coach of the Eagles in 2021.

Off the field, Sirianni enjoys being a family man. He is married to his wife, Brett Ashley, and they have three children.

Faith is very important to Nick Sirianni, and so are the Pittsburgh Steelers. He grew up a fan of black, gold, and white due to his family roots in Pennsylvania.

Sirianni takes his Italian roots seriously. He defended his DC last season and current Arizona Cardinal head coach, Jonathan Gannon, from the haters on the Angelo Cataldi and the Morning Team Show when he said:

“At the end of the day, I’m going to stick up for my brother. I grew up in a tight Italian family. All I know is to stick up for my family members. That’s what I was doing. I actually have some stats…”

 

Some stats put it mildly. He went on to school the morning show cast, spending several minutes talking about the strengths of his then-DC Gannon. He sticks up for his brother, indeed.

Nick Sirianni’s Coaching Tree:

One could argue that Nick Sirianni is on his dad’s coaching tree. Fran Sirianni was a head coach at Nick’s high school, Southwestern Central High School. Coaching is in Nick’s blood and in his brother’s blood as well. His brother Jay was also the head coach of the same high school, and his brother Mike is the head coach at a Pennsylvania college—a family trade.

Despite being just 42, Nick Sirianni already has a coaching tree. The aforementioned Jonathan Gannon is coaching the Arizona Cardinals. His OC last season, Shane Steichen, was also snagged away by the Indianapolis Colts, who were in the market for a new head coach after their nightmare decisions the prior season.

Neither new head coach is hitting it out of the park just yet. Gannon’s Cardinals are 1-3, and Steichen’s Colts are 2-2. It could be worse, though. The Colts are doing well utilizing their rookie QB, who has dealt with injuries. The Cardinals are struggling on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball; Gannon only has so much to work with right now.

Nick Sirianni

Nick Sirianni with his family during the holiday season – Nick Sirianni/Indianapolis Colts

 

Sirianni’s coaching tree is a little wilted right now, but he’s young, and there’s time. His tree will grow, and so will Gannon and Steichen’s careers.

Hey, now that you know all things Nick Sirianni, have you seen our Hispanic Heritage Month 2023 articles? Make sure you’re caught up on them here.