John Palermo – Veteran Football Coach
Personal Information:
•Born: March 26, 1952
•Hometown: Newburgh, New York
Playing Career:
•College Football: Began at Wesley College, Delaware, before transferring to Florida State University, lettering in 1972 and 1973.
Coaching Career:
• Early Roles:
•Assistant positions at North Carolina State (1977–1978), Austin Peay (1979), Memphis State (1980–1982), Appalachian State (1983–1984), and Minnesota (1984–1987).
• Notre Dame (1988–1989):
•Defensive Line Coach during the 1988 national championship season. Coached Chris Zorich, a two-time consensus All-American and 1990 Lombardi Award winner.
• Wisconsin (1991–2005):
•Assistant Head Coach, overseeing outside linebackers (1991–1995) and defensive line (1996–2005).
•Coached four first-team All-Americans and two first-round NFL draft picks: Wendell Bryant (2002) and Erasmus James (2005).
• NFL – Washington Redskins (2008–2009):
•Defensive Line Coach.
•Coached Brian Orakpo to a Pro Bowl selection as a rookie.
• Later Roles:
•Positions at Middle Tennessee (2010–2011), Tennessee (2012), Pittsburgh (2013–2014), and Ave Maria University (2015–2016).
Notable Achievements:
•Over 40 years of coaching experience across high school, college, and professional levels.
•Mentored multiple All-Americans and NFL players.
•Recognized for his expertise in coaching defensive linemen and linebackers.