Football
- Title:
- Tight Ends
- Phone:
- 205-348-3600
Joe Pannunzio returned to the Alabama staff in 2017 as the Crimson Tide’s special teams coordinator and tight ends coach after a four stint as the program’s director of football operations.
Pannunzio inherits junior tight end Hale Hentges and sophomore Miller Forristall for the 2017 season giving the Crimson Tide proven talent and depth at the position. On special teams, he must replace veteran place-kicker Adam Griffith and four-year starting long snapper Cole Mazza, but he returns first team All-American punter JK Scott. Scott has averaged 46.3 yards on 189 punts over the last three seasons. Alabama also welcomes back returners Trevon Diggs and Xavian Marks to bolster the Tide’s special teams.
Pannunzio, who brings over 30 years of coaching experience to Tuscaloosa, returns to the Alabama program after spending the past two seasons as the Philadelphia Eagles director of personnel operations. He served as the Crimson Tide’s director of football operations for four seasons from 2011-14.
Prior to joining Alabama, Pannunzio was the tight ends coach/special teams coordinator at the University of Miami (Fla.) from 2006-10. During his tenure with the Hurricanes, Pannunzio tutored players such as Greg Olsen (1st round Chicago, 2007), Jimmy Graham (3rd round New Orleans, 2010), Dedrick Epps (7th round San Diego, 2010) and punter Matt Bosher (6th round Atlanta, 2011). Miami made four bowl appearances in his five years in Coral Gables.
Pannunzio plucked Graham off the Hurricanes’ basketball team after his basketball eligibility had expired. He helped groom him into a threat at tight end for Miami, catching 17 passes for 213 yards and five touchdowns in his only season on the gridiron before becoming an All-Pro tight end who has appeared in four Pro Bowls for the New Orleans Saints and Seattle Seahawks.
Olsen earned All-ACC honors under Pannunzio’s guidance in 2006, catching 40 passes for 489 yards and a touchdown. Bosher was a three time All-ACC specialist for the Canes (2008-2010), including being named a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award (best place-kicker) as a sophomore in 2008. He finished his career averaging over 40 yards per punt while making 84.9 percent of his career field goal attempts (45 of 53).
Pannunzio spent six years as the head coach at Murray State from 2000-05, leading the Racers to the 2002 Ohio Valley Championship with a 6-2 conference record and a berth in the NCAA I-AA playoffs. He joined Mike Gottfried, Frank Beamer and Houston Nutt as one of just four head coaches in school history to win a conference title. He posted a 30-37 record in his six years with Murray State.
Prior to becoming a head coach, Pannunzio spent five years working for Tommy Tuberville at Mississippi (1995-98) and Auburn (1999) as the tight ends and special teams coach. He also served in the same capacity for four years under Jim Wacker at TCU (1991) and Minnesota (1992-94).
While at Ole Miss, Pannunzio helped the Rebels qualify for two bowl games. Ole Miss won the 1997 Motor City Bowl and followed that with a victory in 1998 Independence Bowl over Texas Tech. Coached tight end Kris Mangum for two seasons with the Rebels before he embarked on a 10 year NFL career with the Carolina Panthers.
In his second stint with Mesa (Colo.) College from 1987-90, Pannunzio worked as the offensive coordinator. He originally joined Mesa from 1982-84, when he coached the quarterbacks and wide receivers. During his seven years at Mesa, the team twice appeared in the NAIA National Championship game and once led the nation in total offense and scoring. Between those two periods, Pannunzio was the tight ends coach at Kansas from 1985-86.
A native of Pueblo, Colo., Pannunzio was a standout quarterback at Southern Colorado, earning honorable mention all-conference and in 1980. He also began his coaching career at his alma mater, working with wide receivers in 1981.
He and his wife, Rita, have two daughters, Angela Brown and Nico Segura and a son, Mario. They have one grandson, Michael Jo Brown and son-in-laws Michael Brown and Jason Segura.
