Daniel Joseph Dorazio (January 22, 1952 – August 13, 2024) was an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

coach who coached for 26 years in the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

, 22 years in the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

(CFL), and for one year in

U Sports U Sports (stylized as U SPORTS) is the national sport governing body for universities in Canada, comprising the majority of degree-granting universities in the country and four regional conferences: Ontario University Athletics (OUA), Résea ...

. He was a four-time

Grey Cup The Grey Cup () is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested between the winners ...

champion after winning with the

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium a ...

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

and

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

and with the

BC Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place. The Lions playe ...

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

and

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

. Under his direction as an

offensive line coach In American football, a position coach is a team official in charge of coaching a specific position group. Position coaches have more specialized duties than the head coach, associate and assistant coach, and the Offensive coordinator, offensive a ...

, he had four players win the

CFL's Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman Award The Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman Award is annually awarded to the best offensive lineman in the Canadian Football League. The two nominees for the award are the Leo Dandurand Trophy winner from the East Division, and the DeMarco-Becket Memo ...

Early life and education

Dorazio was born to parents Joseph and Helen Dorazio in

Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania Wilkinsburg is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. The borough has a population of 14,349 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Wilkinsburg is part of the Greater Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh ...

, and grew up in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

. When he was a teenager, his family moved to

Stow, Ohio Stow is a city in Summit County, Ohio, United States. The population was 34,483 at the 2020 census. It is a suburban community within the Akron metropolitan area. History Stow is named for Joshua Stow, its original proprietor. Joshua Stow w ...

, where he attended Stow High School. He then attended

Kent State University Kent State University (KSU) is a Public university, public research university in Kent, Ohio, United States. The university includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio located in Kent State University at Ashtabula, Ashtabula, Kent State ...

, where he played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Kent State Golden Flashes The Kent State Golden Flashes are the athletic teams that represent Kent State University. The university fields 19 varsity athletic teams in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the NCAA Division I, Division I level with footba ...

as a

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

Coaching career

NCAA

Dorazio began his coaching career as a graduate assistant on the

staff and was assigned to the

offensive line In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line (OL), while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line ( ...

by head coach Don James. He then spent time with the

Hawaii Rainbow Warriors The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors and Rainbow Wāhine are the athletic teams that represent the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (UH), in Honolulu, Hawaii. The UH athletics program is a member of the Big West Conference in most sports and competes at ...

from 1975 to 1977, the

San Jose State Spartans The San Jose State Spartans are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent San José State University. SJSU sports teams compete in the Mountain West Conference at the NCAA Division I level, with football competing in the Football Bowl S ...

in 1978, the

Washington Huskies The Washington Huskies are the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Washington, located in Seattle. The school competes at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) N ...

in 1979, the

Northern Iowa Panthers The Northern Iowa Panthers are the athletic teams of the University of Northern Iowa. The university is a member of the Missouri Valley Conference and competes in NCAA Division I (Division I FCS in football). History The school's mascot is the ...

from 1980 to 1981, and the

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets is the name used for all of the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The teams have also been nicknamed the ...

from 1982 to 1983. Dorazio spent a large part of his NCAA coaching career with the Huskies, and joined the team in 1982, reuniting him with head coach James. In 1984, Dorazio's offensive line scheme helped the fourth-ranked Huskies to a victory over the

Oklahoma Sooners The Oklahoma Sooners are the college athletics in the United States , athletic teams that represent the University of Oklahoma, located in Norman, Oklahoma, Norman. The 19 men's and women's varsity teams are called the "Sooners", a reference to ...

in the

1985 Orange Bowl The 1985 Orange Bowl was the 51st edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, on Tuesday, January 1. Part of the 1984–85 bowl game season, it matched the fourth-ranked Washington Huskies of the ...

. His tenure with the Huskies came to an end after a disappointing 1988 season and he was fired by James. Dorazio then coached for the

Holy Cross Crusaders The Holy Cross Crusaders are the athletic teams representing the College of the Holy Cross. They compete in NCAA Division I, primarily as members of the Patriot League. In ice hockey, a sport not sponsored by the Patriot League for either sex, th ...

from 1989 to 1991, the

Maryland Terrapins The Maryland Terrapins, commonly referred to as the Terps, consist of 19 men's and women's college sports in the United States, varsity intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Maryland, College Park in National Collegiate ...

from 1992 to 1996, and the

Boston University Terriers The Boston University Terriers are the ten men's and fourteen women's Varsity team, varsity athletic teams representing Boston University in NCAA Division I competition. Boston University's team nickname is the Terriers, and the official mascot ...

in 1997.

Calgary Stampeders

After 26 years in

, Dorazio was hired by

Wally Buono Pasquale "Wally" Buono (born February 7, 1950) is a Canadian ex-football coach currently working as the vice president of football operations, alternate governor and the former head coach of the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League (CFL), a ...

of the

to serve as the team's

. In his first season,

Fred Childress Freddie Lee Childress (born September 17, 1966) is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle in the Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, p ...

was named a CFL All-Star as well as the CFL's Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman and the Stampeders won the

86th Grey Cup The 86th Grey Cup (Canadian Football League championship) was held in 1998 in Winnipeg. The Calgary Stampeders won the game over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats with a score of 26–24. Game summary Calgary Stampeders (26) - TDs, Jeff Garcia, Kelvin And ...

. After a loss in the

87th Grey Cup The 87th Grey Cup (Canadian Football League championship) was held in 1999 in Vancouver. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats won the game 32–21 over the Calgary Stampeders in a rematch of the previous year's 86th Grey Cup. Game summary Hamilton Tiger-Cats ...

, Dorazio won his second championship in

when the Stampeders defeated the

Winnipeg Blue Bombers The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division (CFL), West division. They play thei ...

in the

89th Grey Cup The 89th Grey Cup (Canadian Football League championship) was held in 2001 CFL season, 2001 in Montreal. The Calgary Stampeders claimed their fifth championship in team history with a 27–19 win over the Canadian Football League East Division, ...

. After a disappointing 2002 season, Buono resigned and Dorazio left the Stampeders.

BC Lions (first stint)

After Buono was hired as the head coach of the

, Dorazio joined his coaching staff as the team's offensive line coach for the 2003 season. Under his tutelage,

Rob Murphy Robert Albert Murphy (born May 26, 1960) is an American former professional baseball player who was a relief pitcher in Major League Baseball from 1985 to 1995. Murphy played college baseball for the University of Florida, and was picked by t ...

won the CFL's Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman Award in 2005 and 2006 and Dorazio won his third Grey Cup championship following the Lions' victory in the

94th Grey Cup The 94th Grey Cup game took place on November 19, 2006, at Canad Inns Stadium in Winnipeg, Manitoba before 44,786 fans. Ticket prices ranged from $141 and $275. The game decided the championship of the 2006 Canadian Football League season. The ...

. He won his fourth title in

with the

99th Grey Cup The 99th Grey Cup was a Canadian football game between the Canadian Football League East Division, East Division champion Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Canadian Football League West Division, West Division champion BC Lions to decide the champion ...

win, and

Jovan Olafioye Jovan Olafioye (born December 16, 1987) is a former professional Canadian football offensive lineman. He signed with the BC Lions as a free agent, after going undrafted in the 2009 NFL draft. Jovan attended the 2009 Detroit Lions rookie mini camp ...

won the Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman Award in 2012. Upon the hiring of

Jeff Tedford Jeffrey Raye Tedford (born November 2, 1961) is an American football coach and former player. From 2002 to 2012, Tedford was the head football coach for the California Golden Bears, where he was twice named Pac-10 Coach of the Year and holds ...

for the 2015 season, Dorazio was not retained on the coaching staff.

Saskatchewan Roughriders

On February 2, 2015, it was announced that Dorazio had joined the

Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded in 19 ...

and

Corey Chamblin Corey Jermaine Chamblin (born May 29, 1977) is an American football coach who is the defensive coordinator and safeties coach for the Birmingham Stallions of the United Football League (UFL). He was previously the defensive backs coach for the ...

's staff as the team's offensive line coach, reuniting him with former BC Lions

offensive coordinator An offensive coordinator (OC) is a Coach (sport), coach responsible for a gridiron football team's offense (American football), offense. Generally, the offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator represent the second ...

Jacques Chapdelaine Jacques Chapdelaine (born August 24, 1961) is a Canadian football coach and former professional slotback in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He most recently served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Toronto Argonauts ...

. The Roughriders finished with a league-worst 3–15 record and the entire coaching staff was dismissed.

BC Lions (second stint)

After Tedford resigned as the Lions' head coach and Buono returned as head coach, Dorazio was hired back to his coaching staff for the 2016 season. He spent three seasons in his second stint as the Lions' offensive line coach. He was not retained for the

2019 season Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number) * One of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (1987 film), a 1987 science fiction film * '' 19-Nineteen'', a 2009 South Korean film * '' Dici ...

by the team's new head coach,

DeVone Claybrooks Natravis DeVone Claybrooks (born September 15, 1977) is the former head coach of the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was an American football defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for seven different teams (Pa ...

Toronto Argonauts

On February 7, 2019, it was announced that Dorazio had joined the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Argonauts compete in the East Division (CFL), East Division of t ...

as the team's offensive line coach, with Chapdelaine and Chamblin also serving on the team's coaching staff, the latter as head coach. After a disappointing season for the team, Chamblin was fired and replaced by

Ryan Dinwiddie Ryan Lee Dinwiddie (born November 27, 1980) is an American professional football coach and former player who is the head coach of the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played as a quarterback in the CFL for the Winnipeg ...

, who subsequently hired Stephen McAdoo as the new offensive line coach to replace Dorazio for 2020.

Canadian university football

Dorazio was hired as the offensive line coach for the

UBC Thunderbirds The UBC Thunderbirds are the athletic teams that represent the University of British Columbia. In Canadian intercollegiate competition, the Thunderbirds are the most successful athletic program both regionally in the Canada West Universities Athl ...

, but only spent spring training with the team as the

2020 U Sports football season The 2020 U Sports football season was scheduled to feature the Canadian football competition under the auspices of U Sports as the highest level of competition for amateur football in Canada in 2020. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada ...

was cancelled. He was then hired by Simon Fraser on August 29, 2020, by interim head coach Mike Rigell, to serve as the team's offensive line coach and co-offensive coordinator. However, their 2020 season was also cancelled and he did not coach for Simon Fraser. On March 22, 2023, it was announced that Dorazio had re-joined the Thunderbirds as their offensive line coach. In

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

, offensive linemen

Theo Benedet Theo Benedet (born October 12, 2001) is a Canadian professional football offensive tackle for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played U Sports football for the UBC Thunderbirds. Early life Benedet was born in Toront ...

and Giovanni Manu were named to U Sports All-Canadian teams with the former winning the J. P. Metras Trophy and the latter being selected in the

2024 NFL draft The 2024 NFL draft was the 89th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players. The draft was held at Campus Martius Park and Hart Plaza in Detroit on April 25–27, 2024. The draft had an attendanc ...

. The Thunderbirds also played in the 58th Vanier Cup that year, but lost to the

Montreal Carabins The Montréal Carabins () are the men's and women's athletic teams that represent the Université de Montréal in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Teams play at the CEPSUM Stadium and at Winter Stadium (Montreal), l'aréna du CEPSUM, located at the Uni ...

Personal life and death

Dorazio was married to Lisa Caroglanian Dorazio and had three children and four grandchildren. His daughter Christina predeceased him in 1999. Dorazio died of pancreatic cancer in

Abbotsford, British Columbia Abbotsford is a city in British Columbia next to the Canada–United States border, Greater Vancouver, and the Fraser River. With a census population of 153,569 people (2021), it is the most populous municipality in the province outside metropol ...

, on August 13, 2024, at the age of 72.

References

External links

Simon Fraser profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dorazio, Dan 1952 births 2024 deaths Players of American football from Allegheny County, Pennsylvania American football running backs Kent State Golden Flashes football players Hawaii Rainbow Warriors football coaches Washington Huskies football coaches Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football coaches Maryland Terrapins football coaches San Jose State Spartans football coaches Northern Iowa Panthers football coaches Holy Cross Crusaders football coaches Boston University Terriers football coaches Calgary Stampeders coaches BC Lions coaches Saskatchewan Roughriders coaches Toronto Argonauts coaches Simon Fraser Red Leafs football coaches UBC Thunderbirds football coaches