Patriots Legend Surprised by ‘Surreal’ Hall Nomination

FOXBORO — The New England Patriots Hall of Fame Nominating Committee was treated to quite the surprise on Thursday afternoon when team owner Robert Kraft arrived to bestow a well-deserved honor upon legendary offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia.

However, none were more surprised than that Pats former assistant, himself.

Kraft revealed Scarnecchia as the fourth person to be inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame as a contributor. Patriots founder Billy Sullivan was the first to be enshrined in 2009. Since that time, he has been joined by play-by-play announcer Gil Santos (2012) and a posthumous induction of cheerleading director Tracy Sormanti in 2021.

Scarnecchia, who has never been one to indulge in self praise, was clearly moved by his selection among the Patriots all-time greats.

“Honestly, you don’t think of things like that,” Scarnecchia told WEEI’s The Greg Hill Show on Friday morning. “Whoever thinks about going into the Hall of Fame? That’s for the players, it’s for the head coaches, and it’s for really, really special people around the organization or in the organization. You’re just some assistant coach, so that really doesn’t enter your mind.”

Judging by his reaction less than one day removed from Kraft’s nomination, it was evident that he was still a bit taken aback by it, as well.

“It is really surreal in so many respects. Believe me, I’m flattered by it, appreciative of it, all the rest of it. I just didn’t expect anything like that, to be honest.”

Scarnecchia — a six-time Super-Bowl champion who had previously retired after the 2013 season and returned in 2016 — has rightfully earned his reputation as one of the Patriots most respected and revered coaches in franchise history.

Still, the instinct to protect his players still remains strong in the 75-year-old coach. In fact, his primary order of business was to make the case for one of the organization’s most reliable and highly-decorated linemen.

“I went over to the stadium yesterday to be part of a panel reviewing the potential nominees for induction into the Hall of Fame,” he said. “I went there pointedly to make a case — a strong case, although I don’t think he needs one — for Logan Mankins, who I was fortunate enough to coach for nine years. In the middle of all that, “Mr. Kraft came in and said he was going to execute executive privilege and put me in the Hall of Fame. That’s how it happened.”

Mankins, who spent his entire Patriots tenure under Scarnecchia’s tutelage, is widely regarded as one of the best offensive linemen in franchise history. The Fresno State product spent nine of his 11 NFL seasons with the Pats after joining the team as a first-round draft pick in 2005. Mankins was a three-time team captain, earning six Pro Bowl selections and six All-Pro honors (2007, 2009-13) during his time with New England, including first-team Associated Press All-Pro honors following the 2010 season.

Whether Mankins will be sharing the dais with his former coach is still a matter to be determined by both the committee, as well as the fans. The former voted on Thursday to narrow the field to three finalists. In the coming weeks, the names of the top three vote recipients will be revealed to the public, who will in turn vote to select the 2023 inductee.

Follow Mike D’Abate on Twitter @mdabateNFL and Listen/Subscribe to his daily podcast: Locked On Patriots

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