Pat Narduzzi Joins Miami University Football Coaching Staff
2/28/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Feb. 28, 2003
Head football coach Terry Hoeppner has announced the addition of Pat Narduzzi to his coaching staff for the upcoming season. Narduzzi replaces Jon Wauford, who resigned last month, as the RedHawks' defensive coordinator.
"We want to welcome Pat back to Miami," Hoeppner said. "The Narduzzi name is one that has been tied into the history of Miami football for a long time, dating back to his father Bill. Both our players and coaches are excited to get started."
A native of Youngstown, Ohio, Narduzzi joins the Miami staff after spending the previous three years as an assistant coach at Northern Illinois University. He served as the linebacker coach under head coach Joe Novak, a member of Miami University's Cradle of Coaches, and also oversaw the team's academic programs, summer camps and off-season conditioning.
During his tenure with the Huskies, Narduzzi helped coach Northern Illinois to shares of back-to-back Mid-American Conference West Division Championships in 2001 and 2002. Last season, the Huskie defense was the MAC's stingiest against the run, allowing 131.8 yards per game, along with allowing the league's second-fewest points (24.8 per game), which ranked 39th in the nation. Three NIU linebackers from last year were named all-MAC, including first-team all-MAC performer Larry Williams. Williams finished seventh in the MAC with 10.8 tackles per game and second in sacks with 10.
Prior to arriving at Northern Illinois in 2000, Narduzzi spent seven seasons at Rhode Island, his alma mater, spending the last two years as the Rams' defensive coordinator and linebacker coach. As the defensive coordinator at URI, Narduzzi turned around a struggling Rams' defense, raising them from the bottom of the Atlantic-10 in total defense, scoring defense and rushing defense to No. 2 in the league in all three categories during his first year at the helm. Prior to becoming the defensive coordinator, Narduzzi spent five years (1993-97) as the defensive line coach. In all, 11 Rams earned all-Atlantic 10 honors under his tutelage.
Narduzzi started his coaching career at Miami in the early 1990s under then-head coach Randy Walker. After spending two years as Miami's graduate assistant in 1990-91, he spent one season as the Red and White's wide receiver coach.
His late father, Bill Narduzzi, is another in the long line of coaching luminaries that started their careers at Miami. Following his playing days in Oxford in 1957-68, the elder Narduzzi went to coach with Carmen Cozza on his Yale staffs in the mid-1960s before going on to coach Youngstown State for 11 seasons from 1975-85 and posting a 68-51-1 mark.
Pat Narduzzi garnered all-state honors at Ursuline High School in Youngstown. He went on to play for his father at YSU in 1985 as a freshman and led the Ohio Valley Conference in tackles with 159. After transferring to Rhode Island in 1986, he went on to be a three-year starter at linebacker for URI, earning Academic all-Yankee Conference honors.
Narduzzi received his bachelor of science degree in physical education from Rhode Island in 1990 and added a master's of science from Miami in 1992.
Narduzzi, 36, is married to the former Donna Silva of Cranston, R.I. The couple has four children, Arianna (9) Christina (7) Patrick (4) and Isabella, born in April, 2002.
