The three Syracuse football connections to Sunday's Super Bowl LX

One ex-Orange player dots the New England side, and two former 'Cuse coaches are also gunning for "a ring."

Oct 13, 2012; Piscataway, NJ, USA; Syracuse Orange head coach Doug Marrone looks on against the Rutgers Scarlett Knights during the first half at Highpoint Solutions Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

While the Super Bowl LX game broadcast Sunday evening on NBC (6:30 p.m. ET) will certainly have a Syracuse flavor with alum Mike Tirico (Newhouse Class of '88) finally getting to call the biggest sporting event in the U.S. over his legendary career, there is only one former Orange player on a roster, backup QB Tommy DeVito of the Pats, not likely to see the field for Tirico or boothmate Cris Collinsworth to assess his play as commentators..

Meanwhile, two former SU players and coaches will be competing strategically with headsets instead of helmets as assistant coaches on the respective teams, and it is no coincidence that both of these coaches were bulldogs on the offensive line in their playing days on The Hill, and moved up the ranks in their coaching careers to high profile positions and status among their peers.

Sunday night either Patriots offensive line coach Doug Marrone or Seahawks run game specialist/assistant OL coach Justin Outten will be celebrating underneath the streaming confetti at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., as a member of a Super Bowl winning team and a capping achievement for their respective professional careers.

Marrone came close to leading Jacksonville to its first Super Bowl appearance in 2017

As an Orangemen under Dick MacPherson from 1983-85, Marrone famously took Coach Mac's game week homework assignment to task, as to how SU could upset top-ranked Nebraska when the Cornhuskers came into the Dome as the No. 1 team in the nation in 1984.

The year before in Lincoln, SU did not know what hit them in a 63-7 blitz, and the Huskers definitely took the 'Cuse, losers the week before to Rutgers, lightly, but were outplayed from the opening kickoff to the celebratory conclusion of the shocker that helped Coach Mac turn the program around three seasons later.

After the awkward nature of leaving his "dream job" at Syracuse after four seasons in 2012 to coach in the NFL, Marrone led the Bills to their first winning record in a decade in 2014, then came within a victory against, ironically, New England, in the 2017 AFC championship game of reaching the Super Bowl.

Marrone agreed to join longtime friend Mike Vrabel's first-year staff as OL coach this season to help engineer a quick turnaround.

A newcomer to the Seahawks staff, Outten hopes to help make the franchise's 50th season one to remember

A two year starter at center under Greg Robinson in 2005-06, Outten actually began his coaching career moving into a grad assistant role under Robinson in '07, before eight seasons as a high school head coach in Houston, then beginning a five-team NFL journey in 2016 with the Falcons.

Throughout his pro coaching career, Outtten has made a mark as an offensive strategist. Serving as the Broncos OC in 2022, he directed the team's biggest offensive output in a game in four seasons, and was instramental in coaching future Hall of Famer Derrick Henry with the Titans in 2023, and All-Pro tight end Jimmy Graham with the Packers in 2021.

Hired by the Seahawks not even one year ago (Feb. 18, 2025), Outten has contributed to head coach Mike McDonald's staff that produced a balance offense under QB Sam Darnold (4048 passing yards), a 1000 yard rusher in Kenneth Walker III, and of course the overall top record in the conference.

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