Bill Arnsparger, a relationship that spanned Symank's entire coaching career. In 1965, he went to the
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with College admission ...
in
Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen ...
and worked under head coach
George Blackburn.
Norb Hecker, one of Lombardi's assistants who coached Symank at Green Bay, became the head coach of the
Atlanta Falcons, the NFL's new expansions team, in . Hecker recruited Symank to join the Falcons' first coaching staff. In , Symank and Hecker were joined in Atlanta by former Packer
Lew Carpenter. The Falcons' owner was frustrated with his team's 4–26–1 record, and Hecker was fired after the third game of his third season. Former Eagles quarterback Norm Van Brocklin took over as the Falcons head coach for the balance of the season, and the Falcons assistant coaches including Symank were fired at season's end.
College head coach
Symank was the head football coach for
Northern Arizona University
Northern Arizona University (NAU) is a public research university based in Flagstaff, Arizona. It was founded in 1899 as the final public university established in the Arizona Territory, 13 years before Arizona was admitted as the 48th state.
...
(NAU) in Flagstaff, Arizona in 1969 and 1970,
[College Football Data Warehouse, All-Time Coaching Records]
John Symank Records by Year
. Retrieved July 9, 2010. He picked his former Packers teammate and quarterback
Lamar McHan
Clarence Lamar McHan (December 16, 1932 – November 23, 1998) was an American football player and coach. He played professionally for ten seasons as a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Chicago Cardinals, Green Bay Packers ...
as his
offensive coordinator and C. O. Brocato, a very successful coach at Jesuit High School in
Shreveport, Louisiana, as his
defensive coordinator
A defensive coordinator is a coach responsible for a gridiron football (American football) team's defense. Generally, the defensive coordinator, the offensive coordinator and the special teams coordinator represent the second level of a team's c ...
. The trio coached the NAU Lumberjacks together for two years and moved again when his
alma mater, the University of Texas at Arlington (formerly Arlington State Junior College), asked him to be the head coach of the
UT Arlington Mavericks
The UT Arlington Mavericks (abbreviated UT Arlington, UTA, and Mavs) are the athletic teams that represent the University of Texas at Arlington in Arlington, Texas. The Mavericks currently compete in the NCAA Division I Western Athletic Confere ...
. Symank was the eleventh head
college football coach for the Arlington Mavericks, and he held that position for three seasons, from 1971 until 1973. He and his assistants assumed command over a completely demoralized team and set out to rebuild the program using the same techniques he had learned from Lombardi. Symank's three-year win–loss record at UT Arlington was 11–21.
Return to the NFL
Bill Arnsparger became the head coach of the New York Giants in , and called Symank to join his new staff. After winning just seven games in three seasons, Arnsparger was fired in . Symank was hired by
Ted Marchibroda
Theodore Joseph Marchibroda (March 15, 1931 – January 16, 2016) was an American football quarterback and head coach in the National Football League (NFL). He spent his four years as an active player with the Pittsburgh Steelers (1953, 1955&nda ...
as an assistant coach for the Baltimore Colts, and also coached under Marchibroda's successor, Mike McCormack, from to . After years of frustration, the Colts management was ready to make major changes, so Symank, along with the rest of the Colts coaches, were fired.
At home in Louisiana
In 1984 a new opportunity presented itself when Bill Arnsparger accepted the head coaching position at
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near ...
(LSU) in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Hired to be the LSU defensive coordinator, Symank was the first assistant hired by Arnsparger. The
LSU Tigers
The LSU Tigers and Lady Tigers are the athletic teams representing Louisiana State University (LSU), a state university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. LSU competes in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as a ...
posted an 8–3–2 record, including the loss to Nebraska in the Sugar Bowl. Arnsparger earned the SEC's Coach of the Year award for turning around an LSU program that had a losing 4–7 record the year before. In 1985 the Tigers came back even stronger, and Symank moved from defensive coordinator to coach the Tigers linebackers and coordinate Arnsparger's recruiting program. He had an affinity for recruiting small town high school players, and felt it was his duty to give promising young players the same chance he had been given. A college education, four years playing college football, and maybe a shot at an NFL roster, but most importantly, Symank would always say: "get that diploma because no matter how good you are, you can't play forever."
Symank died at his beach house on
Dauphin Island, Alabama
Dauphin Island is an island town in Mobile County, Alabama, United States, on a barrier island of the same name, in the Gulf of Mexico. It incorporated in 1988. The population was 1,778 at the 2020 census, up from 1,238 at the 2010 census. The ...
in 2002; he was 66 years old. He was survived by his wife Sarah and their children.
Head coaching record
See also
*
List of Florida Gators in the NFL Draft
The Florida Gators football program is a college football team which represents the University of Florida. The Florida Gators compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), a ...
*
List of Green Bay Packers players
The following is a list of notable past or present players of the Green Bay Packers professional American football team.
All-time roster
* Green Bay Packers players: A-D
* Green Bay Packers players: E-K
* Green Bay Packers players: L-R
* Green Bay ...
*
List of University of Florida alumni
*
List of University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame members
References
Bibliography
* Carlson, Norm, ''University of Florida Football Vault: The History of the Florida Gators'', Whitman Publishing, LLC, Atlanta, Georgia (2007). .
* Golenbock, Peter, ''Go Gators! An Oral History of Florida's Pursuit of Gridiron Glory'', Legends Publishing, LLC, St. Petersburg, Florida (2002). .
* Hairston, Jack, ''Tales from the Gator Swamp: A Collection of the Greatest Gator Stories Ever Told'', Sports Publishing, LLC, Champaign, Illinois (2002). .
* Maraniss, David, ''When Pride Still Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardi'', Simon & Schuster, Inc., New York (1999). .
* McCarthy, Kevin M.,
Fightin' Gators: A History of University of Florida Football', Arcadia Publishing, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina (2000). .
* McEwen, Tom, ''The Gators: A Story of Florida Football'', The Strode Publishers, Huntsville, Alabama (1974). .
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Symank, John
1935 births
2002 deaths
American football safeties
Atlanta Falcons coaches
Baltimore Colts coaches
Florida Gators football players
Florida Gators men's track and field athletes
Green Bay Packers players
LSU Tigers football coaches
New York Giants coaches
Northern Arizona Lumberjacks football coaches
St. Louis Cardinals (football) players
Tulane Green Wave football coaches
Texas–Arlington Mavericks football coaches
Texas–Arlington Mavericks football players
Caldwell High School (Caldwell, Texas) alumni
Virginia Cavaliers football coaches
People from La Grange, Texas
Coaches of American football from Texas
Players of American football from Texas
American people of Sorbian descent