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Spagnuolo was a two-year starter at wide receiver at Springfield College in Massachusetts. But those details are not what surprised the players the most. Most shocking for Chiefs defenders — including pass rusher Chris Jones, safety Bryan Cook and linebacker Nick Bolton — was what position Spagnuolo played before college.
“They wouldn’t look at me and say, ‘He was a quarterback,’” Spagnuolo said, laughing.
Yes, Spagnuolo — one of the NFL’s greatest defensive minds, a strategist known for his complex blitzes and the lone coordinator in history to have four Super Bowl rings (including titles with two different franchises) — was once a high school quarterback.
Sometimes, often in passing when he’s just talking ball with his players, Spagnuolo will mention to them he was a pretty good quarterback, too. Two years ago, Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie had that exact experience.
“I thought he was a running back because I played running back [in high school],” McDuffie said of Spagnuolo, 65. “He said quarterback and I was like, ‘Ah snap … OK, Spags! … The leader of the team?!’
“It makes sense, just how smart he is and how much he understands offenses. When he said that, I was like, ‘Ah, I see.’ It was pretty cool to learn about that.”
