Logo

17 Facts About Gerry DiNardo

1.

Gerard Paul DiNardo was born on November 10,1952 and is an American former football player and coach.

2.

Gerry DiNardo played college football as a guard for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish where he was selected as an All-American in 1974.

3.

Gerry DiNardo went to college at the University of Notre Dame, where he played guard from 1972 to 1974 for coach Ara Parseghian.

4.

Gerry DiNardo was a member of the school's 1973 national championship team, and an All-American in 1974.

5.

Incidentally, Gerry DiNardo honed his blocking skills against Rudy Ruettiger, a member of the scout team during Gerry DiNardo's time at Notre Dame.

6.

Gerry DiNardo's older brother, Larry, was an All-American at Notre Dame, playing from 1968 to 1970.

7.

Gerry DiNardo began his coaching career at the University of Maine in 1975.

8.

Gerry DiNardo was the offensive coordinator when Colorado won the national championship in 1990.

9.

In December 1990, Gerry DiNardo took the head coach job at Vanderbilt University, starting in the 1991 season.

10.

On December 12,1994, Gerry DiNardo left Vanderbilt and took the head coach position at LSU.

11.

Gerry DiNardo took over a program that had six straight losing seasons and that had not been ranked in the AP Poll since 1989.

12.

Gerry DiNardo promised "to bring back the magic", and for his first three seasons, he had considerable success, including a victory in the 1996 Peach Bowl.

13.

Gerry DiNardo was given the option to coach the final game of the season against Arkansas, but Gerry DiNardo declined.

14.

Unlike the XFL's other teams, Gerry DiNardo banned his players from substituting nicknames for their last names on the backs of their jerseys.

15.

Gerry DiNardo was the only coach who issued a ban; the Orlando Rage's ban was due to a team vote, not the action of coach Galen Hall.

16.

Gerry DiNardo was largely unsuccessful in the Big Ten Conference, never winning more than three games in a season, and was fired after the 2004 season.

17.

Gerry DiNardo is the youngest son of Pasquale Richard DiNardo and Maria Inez DiNardo and has three brothers, John, Robert, and Lawrence.