Temple University Athletics
GEORGE DELEONE NAMED TEMPLE OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR
12.22.05 | Football
PHILADELPHIA -
George DeLeone, who spent the 2005 season as run game coordinator and offensive line coach at the University of Mississippi, has been named offensive coordinator by Temple head coach Al Golden. DeLeone arrives in Owl Country with 35 seasons of coaching experience and has 12 postseason bowl games on his resume."Coaches from Connecticut to Cape May will be getting the most out of EZ Pass as they welcome George DeLeone back to the East Coast," said Golden. "George is the perfect fit for our program and carries with him a tradition of excellence that spans three decades. Having played and recruited against Coach DeLeone for the past 10 years, I can tell you that he is not only a consummate professional and a tireless worker, he is by far the most knowledgeable coach I have ever been in contact with. In fact, George is the only coach I know that possesses the capability to be an offensive, defensive and special teams coordinator--and knowing George, he probably could do it in the same game.
"Coach DeLeone is no stranger to our current situation as he was on the ground floor at Syracuse back in 1985 and played a vital role in developing that program into a national power. During that span Coach DeLeone won two Lambert Trophies, three Big East titles, had five 10-win seasons and appeared in six New Year's Day Bowls. George is an institution to the high school coaches in this area and his prowess as a recruiter is legendary, signing the likes of Donovan McNabb and Trenton's Kevin Johnson. The Temple football family is blessed to have him leading our offense."
Deleone, a former Broyles Award finalist as national assistant coach of the year, has a long history of developing professional players. More than 20 of his pupils have played in the NFL, including current players Keith Bullock (Indianapolis Colts), Morlon Greenwood (Houston Texans) and Kevin Sampson (Kansas City Chiefs).
Twenty years of DeLeone's coaching career was spent at Syracuse. He joined the program in 1985 as an offensive line coach under Dick MacPherson and was elevated to offensive coordinator in 1987, a position he held through 1996. After a one year-stint as offensive line coach with the San Diego Chargers in 1997, he returned to Syracuse in 1998 under Paul Pasqualoni, who assumed the head coaching duties in 1991. From 1998 to 2004, DeLeone was the associate head coach at Syracuse, while also serving as defensive coordinator in 1998, quarterbacks coach in 1999 and offensive line coach from 2000-04.
During his tenure as Syracuse's offensive coordinator, DeLeone built a pro-option attack that ranked as one of the most balanced and productive offenses in the country. In that span, SU earned eight bowl bids and had quarterbacks who ranked among the national leaders in passing every year and in the top six four times. In 1993, Marvin Graves re-wrote the quarterback's section of the SU record book, and DeLeone helped point former SU standout Donovan McNabb in the same direction. DeLeone also helped guide the Orange to Big East Championships in 1996, 1998 and 2004.
In 2003, DeLeone's offense produced a 1,000-yard rusher for the fourth consecutive season. Walter Reyes gained 1,347 yards, the second-best single-season rushing total in Syracuse history. Reyes accumulated 1,135 yards in 2002, while James Mungro compiled 1,170 rushing yards in 2001, one year after Dee Brown amassed 1,031 yards in 2000.
DeLeone began his coaching career in 1970 at Southern Connecticut State as an offensive line coach. He was promoted to head coach in 1976, a spot he held through 1979. DeLeone moved to the Division I level in 1980, coaching under Frank Burns at Rutgers from 1980-83. At RU, he served as the Scarlet Knights' defensive coordinator. He was the offensive coordinator at Holy Cross for one season in 1984.
A native of New Haven, Conn., DeLeone received his bachelor's degree in physical education from Connecticut in 1970 and his master's in education from Southern Connecticut State in 1971. DeLeone and his wife, Roberta, have two sons, Andy, a Penn graduate, and Mark, a student at the University of Iowa.
