Doug Marrone named Syracuse head coach

Dec 12, 2008 - 8:58 PM SYRACUSE, New York (Ticker) -- Doug Marrone has returned to his alma mater in an attempt to resuscitate one of college football's most downtrodden programs.

Marrone, in the middle of his third season as the New Orleans Saints' offensive coordinator, was officially named as Syracuse's new head coach Friday.

The 44-year-old Marrone, an offensive lineman at Syracuse from 1983-85, will be faced with the daunting task of turning around a program that has endured seven straight losing seasons and is reeling from the Greg Robinson era.

"When I tell you I'm excited about this job, it's beyond that," Marrone said during his introductory news conference. "When I tell you I've dreamed about it, it's beyond that. This is the vision I've always had."

The Orange went just 3-9 this past season under the embattled Robinson, who was fired last month. In four dismal seasons under Robinson, Syracuse went 10-36 overall and an embarrassing 3-24 in the Big East Conference.

Marrone has spent the past three years assisting Sean Payton in overseeing one of the NFL's most prolific offenses with the Saints.

Now Marrone, who previously has held eight different assistant positions at six different schools, will be charged with rebuilding a Syracuse program that has not had a winning seasons since 2001, when it went 10-3 under Paul Pasqualoni.

"I made the decision to go into coaching and started 30 miles from here at Cortland State," Marrone said. "Every decision I have made along that way, I was thinking to myself, 'Am I making the right decision so that one day I could come back to Syracuse University?'

"In my heart, I knew I was the best person for this job to get us back to where we want to be."

Syracuse had never experienced a 10-loss season when Robinson was hired to replace Pasqualoni in January 2005.

But the Orange went 1-10 in 2005 before going 4-8 the following season. Robinson came under intense fire after last season, when Syracuse finished 2-10.

It was another disastrous season in 2008 for the Orange, who suffered double-digit defeats in eight of their nine losses and routinely have played in front of sparse crowds at the Carrier Dome.

"We looked everywhere to make sure that we brought someone to Syracuse who we feel can be successful, who has true passion for the university and community, and who understands recruiting in the Northeast while being global at the same time," athletic director Dr. Daryl Gross said. "I had the great fortune to rely on such an outstanding committee for advice and recommendations.

"It was a thorough search, and we found the perfect guy in Doug Marrone. He is a Syracuse graduate whose passion for the job is unmatched. He's prepared himself for this and brings incredible football expertise to the position."

Syracuse's lone bright spot this season came on November 22, when the Orange rallied from a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit to stun Notre Dame, 24-23, in South Bend.

Marrone will look to improve Syracuse's horrendous offense, which ranked 114th in the Football Bowl Subdivision in total offense (270.2 yards per game) and 107th (18.1 ppg) in scoring.

"I've always been part of the program, but now I have a chance to do something with it," Marrone said. "It's a family and we're all in this together."

After two seasons in the NFL, Marrone began his coaching career working with tight ends at SUNY Cortland in 1992. His longest stint was at Georgia Tech, where he spent five seasons.

In 2002, Marrone became offensive line coach with the New York Jets. After four years in New York, Marrone moved on to the Saints.