Orono Coaching Legacy: Former Maine Coach Spagnuolo Aims for His 5th Super Bowl Ring

The University of Maine's football program is known for many successes. However, nothing compares to its remarkable record of coaching development.

Not a year goes by without some form of impact from a former UMaine football coach at the college or professional level. From conference championships to Super Bowl rings, many former Black Bears know how to get the job done.

Former Maine Football Coaches That Continued to Thrive

This includes Kirk Ferentz, who was the head coach at Maine from 1990 to 1992. He has been the head coach at Iowa since 1999, winning over 200 games, two conference championships, and four Big Ten Coach of the Year awards.

The late Buddy Teevens coached Maine in the mid-1980s before going on to become the head coach at Dartmouth, where he won five Ivy League titles. He sadly passed away in 2023 from injuries sustained in a bike accident.

Bobby Wilder spent many years coaching in Orono during the 1990s before taking over at Old Dominion, where he led the school to its first-ever bowl game. He is now the head coach at Tennessee Tech.

Joe Harasymiak recently became the head coach at UMass after a successful stint as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Rutgers. He served as the head coach of Maine from 2016 to 2018, leading the Black Bears to the National Semifinal in 2017.

I could go on and on, but I think you get the point—Maine is an ideal stepping stone for coaches to hone their skills, achieve success, and then take that experience to the next level.

This includes the most successful defensive coordinator in NFL history, at least when it comes to winning Super Bowl rings: Steve Spagnuolo.

Steve Spagnuolo: The Most Successful NFL Coordinator of All-Time

Spagnuolo, or "Spags," is currently the defensive coordinator for the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. In fact, the most recent victory marked his third ring with the team. He joined the Chiefs in 2019 and is credited with completely turning the defensive unit around.

Winning three rings is impressive, but that’s just from Kansas City. Spags also won another ring earlier in his career as the defensive coordinator for the New York Giants, where he guided his defense to one of the greatest performances in Super Bowl history, holding the undefeated New England Patriots to just 14 points.

Following last year's win, Spags is now the winningest coordinator in NFL history—a remarkable achievement for the Whitinsville, Massachusetts, native. Ans now is just days away from possibly adding another ring to his legacy. The man is going to run out of fingers to put them on.

Steve Spagnuolo's UMaine Roots

So, what is Spags' Maine connection? It all started in 1993 when he first came to Orono to join legendary coach Jack Cosgrove’s staff as the defensive backs coach. The following year, Spags was promoted to defensive coordinator and linebackers' coach.

Clearly, his two years in Orono were pivotal in shaping Spags into the defensive genius he is today. It's truly amazing how much Maine has positively impacted so many people.

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Congrats to Spags on a fine career, and best of luck to him and the Chiefs in the Super Bowl. Here's to many more years of success. That Maine blood runs deep.