He grew up in the same neighborhood as legendary football coaches Vince Lombardi and Joe Paterno. He watched others including John Wooden, Red Auerbach and Paul Brown. So it's little wonder that this man would also become a coach and legend in his own right.
These are the coaches that Sam Rutigliano learned from. Whether it is exemplified through Lombardi teaching chemistry or Brown making offensive linemen learn the entire line's assignments, there exists one trait within each of these coaches that Rutigliano saw and deems essential to their profession.
"All of them were great teachers," Rutigliano said simply.
Rutigliano played football, basketball and baseball while being raised in Brooklyn, N.Y. He attended the famous Erasmus Hall High School and played football in college at Tennessee and Tulsa. With the opportunity to play in Canada, he ultimately decided to get a master's degree in education and follow his passion for coaching.
Rutigliano is best known for his time in the NFL. He held various assistant coaching positions before receiving the head coaching job with the Cleveland Brown in 1978 where his fame grew.
During his six years on the shores of Lake Erie, Rutigliano coached the "Kardiac Kids" and was named NFL Coach of the Year in 1980. He fell in love with the franchise and city and continues to live in the area. Even with the recognition that the NFL brought him and the connection he has with Cleveland, Rutigliano values his coaching experiences outside the NFL just as much, if not more.
"I really enjoyed high school football," Rutigliano said. "I learned a lot in high school because they call it coaching, but it's really not coaching, it's teaching."
This is where it becomes obvious that Rutigliano learned from the other coaching greats. He enjoyed teaching the players who were learning at the high school and college level. He coached in Europe, teaching those players what it takes to reach the NFL.
He also recognizes that great coaches help carry the game at the youth level and has teamed up with USA Football as a Coaching School keynote speaker in the past.
"I really enjoy it because it's such a great concept," said Rutigliano of USA Football and his time as a guest speaker. "It's so great for the NFL to be involved in that because all those coaches are volunteers.
"It's not so much the Xs and Os but more about the kids and about making it fun and making it a great experience. And I think USA Football has done a great job."
At the Coaching Schools, Rutigliano continues to stress the importance of coaches as teachers. Coaches need to be able to motivate and communicate, and those who can teach will be rewarded with success while also making an impact on others that will last a lifetime.
"The thing that makes coaching memorable is when you go to a reunion," said Rutigliano as he spoke of meeting with former players and seeing the effect he had on them. One player who suited up for Rutigliano more than 50 years ago told his former coach how he thought of him while serving in Vietnam and when he contracted cancer. "There's no place else you can go and have that kind of an attachment."
Especially at the youth level, leaving a lasting memory as a positive teacher and role model can make all the difference for young players. As Coach Rutigliano shows, that's what true coaching legends do.
