Assistant coaches have higher profiles than ever, but for decades, many of them toiled in obscurity.
Three of them were recognized today for their years of toil, which is continuing for a pair of them.
The Professional Football Writers of America announced today that longtime assistants Dick LeBeau, Tom Moore and Dante Scarnecchia were selected as this year’s class for the Paul “Dr. Z” Zimmerman Award.
The honor was created last year to recognize the men who made such contributions to the game outside of being a head coach. The first class of honorees included Jim Johnson, Howard Mudd, Fritz Shurmur and Ernie Zampese.
While Scarnecchia retired from coaching the Patriots offensive line last year, LeBeau and Moore are still working.
After being let go by the Steelers, LeBeau is now working as the Titans defensive coordinator. Moore is the assistant head coach/offense for the Cardinals, where he’s working his 37th season as an NFL head coach.