Paul Pasqualoni wraps up 2nd season as high school football coach in home state

Pasqualoni has coached in college football and the NFL for the past 50 years

Paul Pasqualoni was head coach of the UConn football program from 2011 to 2013. / Kevin Hoffman-Imagn Images

Paul Pasqualoni has been part of a fair share of college football and NFL teams in his six decades as a coach.

According to Roger Cleaveland of CT Insider, Pasqualoni has recently taken his coaching adventure back to the high school level.

Pasqualoni, 76, concluded his second season as defensive line coach for the Avon Old Farms football team in Connecticut. The Winged Beavers, a NEPSAC member, recently wrapped up their 2025 season with a 10-0 record and the Drew Gamere Bowl title.

A native of Cheshire, Connecticut, Pasqualoni graduated from Cheshire High School in the 1960s. He played basketball and football for the Rams, and he also played football for the Bordentown Military Institute before graduating in 1968.

Before joining Avon Old Farms, Pasqualoni was an assistant coach at Cheshire High School from 1972 to 1975.

Pasqualoni, who now lives in South Windsor, Connecticut, returned to the high school coaching ranks to assist current Avon Old Farms coach Jon Wholley. When Pasqualoni coached at UConn in 2011-13, Wholley was his linebacker coach.

“For me, (Paul) is a person I can talk to that I genuinely trust,” Wholley said via CT Insider. “For the kids, he is an invaluable wealth of knowledge. He coaches every single kid whether they are going to Stanford, to BC or are playing football for the first time. He is invested in all of them and coaches them all like they are J.J. Watt. He develops them and works with them relentlessly every day on techniques, and he also teaches them life through that. Our kids love it.”

In the last couple of years, Pasqualoni has coached for the Memphis Showboats of the United Football League and has been a defensive analyst at the University of Rhode Island.

“I just took the offseason and did a lot of visiting of colleges and pro programs in the spring,” Pasqualoni said via CT Insider. “I felt like I wanted to go on a sabbatical for a spring so I could get out there and stay current. The one thing about football is that if you blink, this game will pass you by. If you think you know it, then you are in trouble.”

Pasqualoni’s coaching stops in college football include Southern Connecticut, Western Connecticut and Syracuse from 1976 to 2004, Boston College in 2016-17 and Florida in 2020-21.

In the NFL, Pasqualoni coached for the Dallas Cowboys and the Miami Dolphins from 2005 to 2010, the Chicago Bears and the Houston Texans in 2014 and 2015, the Detroit Lions in 2018-19 and the Carolina Panthers in 2022.

In his short time at the high school level, Pasqualoni has enjoyed coaching younger players.

“That is why you get in the business,” Pasqualoni said via CT Insider. “You want to teach and try to help young kids. It is a lot of fun to be around these guys. Football is a demanding game. I like Avon, because the kids want to play at a high level. They like preparing for games.”

Sign Up for High School On SI’s Free Daily Newsletters

Download the SBLive App

To get live updates on your phone — as well as follow your favorite teams and top games — you can download the SBLive Sports app: Download iPhone App | Download Android App