Whenever a new coach emerges in the NFL, there’s a rush to tell his story. Fittingly, it often starts at the high school ranks, where future coaches ply their trade and hone in on both strategy and personal management styles.
That’s the case with new Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, too, though his path to the NFL started at a decidedly younger age.
Buried in this profile of the team’s new defensive head man, the Bengals note Anarumo’s first coaching job as such:
His work up from the bottom rung of the coaching ladder (starting in his hometown of Staten Island, N.Y. as a volunteer J.V. high school coach while attending Wagner College) paved the way for his chance in the pros.
Did you catch that? Anarumo started coaching high school football when he himself was only a couple years removed from it. Apparently Anarumo filled that junior varsity role at Susan Wagner High School, on his native Staten Island.
For Anarumo, the Bengals opportunity moves him closer to a head coaching job, something he has never had in his entire career … since he led the Susan Wagner junior varsity.
The moral of the story? If Anarumo is successfully turning around Cincinnati’s defense, don’t be surprised if the Giants or Jets come calling the next time they have a coaching opening. And that would certainly be coming full circle.
