Joe Faragalli
Encyclopedia
Joe Faragalli was a football player and coach who had most of his success in the Canadian Football League
.
Faragalli played Guard
at Villanova University
from 1950–1953, and was the team captain all four years. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears
in the 12th round (138 overall pick) of the 1954 NFL Draft
. He served four years in Germany with the United States Army
and went on to coach college football in the United States.
in 1967 as an offensive coach. In 1981, he became head coach of the Saskatchewan Roughriders
and was awarded the Annis Stukus Trophy
as Coach of the Year; the team, 2–14 in each of the preceding two seasons, finished with a 9–7 record in 1981.
Faragalli's greatest CFL coaching achievement, in 1987, almost never happened. He began that year as coach of the Montreal Alouettes
, but the franchise ceased operations days before the start of the season. After Jackie Parker
resigned as Edmonton Eskimos
coach two games into the year due to health reasons, Faragalli was hired and led the team to a Grey Cup
win against the Toronto Argonauts
.
The Eskimos played in the 1990 Grey Cup game under Faragalli, but lost to Winnipeg. He coached the Ottawa Rough Riders
in 1991.
During the 1980s, he worked as an assistant coach with the Cincinnati Bengals
, Houston Oilers and Buffalo Bills
. His son Mike
also coached in the CFL.
Faragalli died in Narragansett, Rhode Island
on April 10, 2006, of heart failure eight days before his 77th birthday and approximately one month before his 50th wedding anniversary.
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
.
Faragalli played Guard
Guard (American football)
In American and Canadian football, a guard is a player that lines up between the center and the tackles on the offensive line of a football team....
at Villanova University
Villanova University
Villanova University is a private university located in Radnor Township, a suburb northwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States...
from 1950–1953, and was the team captain all four years. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the 12th round (138 overall pick) of the 1954 NFL Draft
1954 NFL Draft
The 1954 National Football League Draft was held on January 28, 1954.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:-Round eight:-Round nine:-Round ten:-Round eleven:...
. He served four years in Germany with the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
and went on to coach college football in the United States.
Coaching career
Known affectionately throughout the CFL as "Papa Joe," Faragalli joined the Winnipeg Blue BombersWinnipeg Blue Bombers
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League . They play their home games at Canad Inns Stadium, and plan to move to a new stadium for the 2012 season.The Blue Bombers were founded...
in 1967 as an offensive coach. In 1981, he became head coach of the Saskatchewan Roughriders
Saskatchewan Roughriders
The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a Canadian Football League team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. They were founded in 1910. They play their home games at 2940 10th Avenue in Regina, which has been the team's home base for its entire history, even prior to the construction of Mosaic Stadium at Taylor...
and was awarded the Annis Stukus Trophy
Annis Stukus Trophy
The Annis Stukus Trophy is a Canadian Football League trophy, which is presented annually by the Edmonton Eskimos Alumni Association to the Coach of the Year, as determined by the members of the Football Reporters of Canada...
as Coach of the Year; the team, 2–14 in each of the preceding two seasons, finished with a 9–7 record in 1981.
Faragalli's greatest CFL coaching achievement, in 1987, almost never happened. He began that year as coach of the Montreal Alouettes
Montreal Alouettes
The Montreal Alouettes are a Canadian Football League team based in Montreal, Quebec.The current franchise named the Alouettes moved to Montreal from Baltimore, Maryland, in 1996 where they had been known as the Baltimore Stallions...
, but the franchise ceased operations days before the start of the season. After Jackie Parker
Jackie Parker
John Dickerson "Jackie" Parker was an American football player who became an All-American in college football and an outstanding professional football player in the Canadian Football League at the running back, quarterback, defensive back, and kicker positions. He is primarily known for his play...
resigned as Edmonton Eskimos
Edmonton Eskimos
The Edmonton Eskimos are a Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. They currently play in the West Division of the Canadian Football League . Edmonton is currently the third-youngest franchise in the CFL, although there were clubs with the name Edmonton Eskimos as early as 1895...
coach two games into the year due to health reasons, Faragalli was hired and led the team to a Grey Cup
Grey Cup
The Grey Cup is both the name of the championship of the Canadian Football League and the name of the trophy awarded to the victorious team. It is Canada's largest annual sports and television event, regularly drawing a Canadian viewing audience of about 3 to 4 million individuals...
win against the Toronto Argonauts
Toronto Argonauts
The Toronto Argonauts are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League. The Toronto, Ontario based team was founded in 1873 and is one of the oldest existing professional sports teams in North America, after the Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta...
.
The Eskimos played in the 1990 Grey Cup game under Faragalli, but lost to Winnipeg. He coached the Ottawa Rough Riders
Ottawa Rough Riders
The Ottawa Rough Riders were a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario, founded in 1876. One of the oldest and longest lived professional sports teams in North America, the Rough Riders won the Grey Cup championship nine times. Their most dominant era was the 1960s and 1970s, a...
in 1991.
During the 1980s, he worked as an assistant coach with the Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
, Houston Oilers and Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. His son Mike
Mike Faragalli
Mike Faragalli is the running backs coach at the University of Virginia. He was the Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks coach at the University of Richmond...
also coached in the CFL.
Faragalli died in Narragansett, Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
on April 10, 2006, of heart failure eight days before his 77th birthday and approximately one month before his 50th wedding anniversary.
CFL coaching record
| Team | |Regular Season | 1981 1981 CFL season The 1981 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 28th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 24th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1981:... | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 4th in West Division | – | – | Missed Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSK | 1982 1982 CFL season The 1982 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 29th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 25th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1982:After the 1981 season the Montreal Alouettes folded... |
6 | 9 | 1 | .406 | 5th in West Division | – | – | Missed Playoffs | |
| SSK Total | 15 | 16 | 1 | .484 | 0 West Division Championships |
- | - | 0 Grey Cups | ||
| EDM 1987 Edmonton Eskimos season The 1987 Edmonton Eskimos finished in 2nd place in the Western Conference with an 11–7–0 record and defeated the Toronto Argonauts to win the 75th Grey Cup.-Schedule:- Season standings:-Season schedule:Total attendance: 302,230... |
1987 1987 CFL season The 1987 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 34th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 30th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1987:... |
9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 2nd in West Division | 3 | 0 | Won Grey Cup 75th Grey Cup The 75th Grey Cup was the 1987 Canadian Football League championship game that was played at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, between the Edmonton Eskimos and the Toronto Argonauts... |
|
| EDM 1988 Edmonton Eskimos season The 1988 Edmonton Eskimos season was the 30th season for the team in the Canadian Football League and their 39th overall. The Eskimos finished the season in first place with a 11–7 record... |
1988 1988 CFL season The 1988 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 35th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 31st Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1988:... |
11 | 7 | 0 | .611 | 1st in West Division | 0 | 1 | Lost in Division Finals | |
| EDM | 1989 1989 CFL season The 1989 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 36th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 32nd Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1989:... |
16 | 2 | 0 | .889 | 1st in West Division | 0 | 1 | Lost in Division Finals | |
| EDM | 1990 1990 CFL season The 1990 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 37th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 33rd Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1990:J... |
10 | 8 | 0 | .556 | 2nd in West Division | 2 | 1 | Lost Grey Cup 78th Grey Cup The 78th Grey Cup was the 1990 Canadian Football League championship game played between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Edmonton Eskimos at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, BC... |
|
| EDM Total | 46 | 24 | 0 | .657 | 2 West Division Championships |
5 | 3 | 1 Grey Cup | ||
| OTT 1991 Ottawa Rough Riders season The 1991 Ottawa Rough Riders finished 3rd place in the East division with a 7–11–0 record. They were defeated in the East Semi-Final by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.- CFL Draft:-Preseason:-Season standings:-Schedule:-Postseason:-References:... |
1991 1991 CFL season The 1991 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 38th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 34th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1991:... |
7 | 11 | 0 | .389 | 3rd in East Division | 0 | 1 | Lost in Division Semi-Finals | |
| OTT Total | 7 | 11 | 0 | .389 | 0 East Division Championships |
0 | 1 | 0 Grey Cups | ||
| Total | 68 | 51 | 1 | .571 | 2 West Division Championships |
5 | 4 | 1 Grey Cup | ||