John Carroll University Athletics

THE PIPELINE: JOHN CARROLL TO THE NFL 

John Carroll University's connection with the National Football League dates back to the very early days of the NFL. Just 5 years after the league's founding, JCU's first connection with the league formed, as Gene Stringer '25 played one season for the Cleveland Bulldogs of the National Football League in 1925. Graham Armstrong '41 and Ed Ecker '44 later followed as players. 

But the connection instantly intensified once Don Shula ‘51 broke into the NFL as a player then as a coach.

Shula still stands as the winningest head coach in NFL history, recording a 347-173-6 record in 36 years with the Indianapolis Colts and the Miami Dolphins. He coached in six Super Bowls and won Super Bowls VII and VIII. To this day, no other coach has done what he did - lead a team to an undefeated record, as he did with the 17-0 Dolphins in 1972. Shula was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1997, the first Blue Streak to achieve the feat.

Since then, a multitude of Blue Streaks have followed in Shula's footsteps. Carl Taseff ‘51, Sil Cornachione ‘51, Dick Walker ‘55, Chuck Priefer ‘63, and Gary Stevens ‘65 continued the legacy. Taseff, Cornachione, and Stevens all worked for the Dolphins with Shula.

The pipeline sprung a host of Blue Streaks to the NFL when former NFL general manager Bill Polian sent his sons Chris '93 and Brian '97 to JCU. Chris ‘93 brought along Tom Telesco ‘95 (current GM of the Las Vegas Reaiders) and many other JCU alumni followed. 

The New England Patriots became a bastion of Blue Streaks, with Josh McDaniels ‘99, Nick Caserio ‘98, and David Ziegler ‘00, ‘07G. All played a large role in helping the Patriots become a perennial Super Bowl contender and many have moved on to lead organizations. Caserio is now the General Manager of the Houston Texans. McDaniels and Ziegler were head coach and GM with the Las Vegas Raiders, many years after being roommates at John Carroll.

And of course, the incomparable London Fletcher '97 roamed the NFL as a dominant linebacker in a lengthy, successful career. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2019. 

Former JCU coaches also thrive in the NFL. Brandon Staley served as JCU’s Defensive Coordinator in 2013, 2015, & 2016, which propelled him to the the NFL. In January 2021, Staley became the head coach of the Chargers (and is now with the 49ers). Five former coaches work as scouts, while Dave Ragone is the Quarterbacks Coach with the Rams after coaching under former JCU head coach Tom Arth '03 (who is now QB Coach in Pittsburgh). 

List of Blue Streaks in the NFL

Area / Name	NFL Team	Role
PLAYER PERSONNEL
Nick Caserio ’98	Houston Texans	General Manager
Chris Polian '93	Cleveland Browns	Special Assistant to the General Manager
Dave Caldwell '96	Philadelphia Eagles	Senior Personnel Director / Advisor to the GM
David Ziegler ’00, ’07G	Tennessee Titans	Assistant General Manager
D.J. Debick ’13 ^	Houston Texans	Director of Pro Scouting
Jalen Myrick ’19	Kansas City Chiefs	College/Pro Scout
Jarrod Kilburn '14	Philadelphia Eagles	College/Pro Scout
Nate Leopold '22	Houston Texans	Pro Scout
Alex Kline '14	Tennessee Titans	Scouting Assistant
Alex Brooks ^	New England Patriots	Southwest Area Scout
Ryan Gravel ^	Las Vegas Raiders	Area Scout
Kevin Kelly ^	Los Angeles Chargers	Senior Director of College Scouting
Tyler Habursky '24	Cleveland Browns	Scouting Assistant
COACHING
Greg Roman '94	Los Angeles Chargers	Offensive Coordinator
Josh McDaniels ’99	New England Patriots	Offensive Coordinator
Frank Ross ’10 ^	Houston Texans	Special Teams Coordinator
Nick Caley ’06	Houston Texans	Offensive Coordinator
Brandon Staley ^	New Orleans Saints	Defensive Coordinator
Chris Shula ^	LA Rams	Defensive Coordinator
Jerry Schuplinski ’99, ’01G ^	LA Rams	Senior Offensive Assistant
Tom Arth '03 ^	Pittsburgh Steelers	Quarterbacks Coach
Jonathan Cooley '11, '14G ^	Carolina Panthers	Defensive Pass Game Coordinator
Dave Ragone ^	LA Rams	Quarterbacks Coach
Rob Grosso '15	Green Bay Packers	Offensive Quality Control - TE's
Matt Feeney '15 ^	Arizona Cardinals	Outside Linebackers Coach
Joe Kasper ^	Philadelphia Eagles	Safeties Coach
Patrick Kramer '16 ^	Atlanta Falcons	Offensive Assistant
Riley Larkin '19	New England Patriots	Offensive Assistant
Keyshawn Colmon '22	Carolina Panthers	Offensive Assistant
Matt Baker ^	Pittsburgh Steelers	Offensive Assistant
Mike Harris ^	LA Rams	Assistant Defensive Backs Coach
FRONT OFFICE
Pat Moriarty ’93G	Baltimore Ravens	Senior Advisor to the General Manager
Lizzie Heidenreich (Trathen) '13, '18G	Cleveland Browns	Manager of Cleveland Browns Foundation
John Frain '86	Cleveland Browns	Director, Security
Allison Likar '00	Cleveland Browns	Executive Assistant
Ashley McCall '23	Buffalo Bills	Youth Football & Programs Coordinator
Monica McKie '23	Cleveland Browns	Community Relations
MEDICAL STAFF
Joe Micca '10	Buffalo Bills	Senior Director of Rehabilitation and Player Health
Michael Micca '12	Buffalo Bills	Director of Rehab/Senior Assistant
COMMUNICATIONS
Danny Markino ’18	Chicago Bears	Manager of Football Communications
Brenan Betro '19	Cleveland Browns	Social Media Manager
MEDIA
London Fletcher '97	Washington Commanders	Color Analyst, Commanders Radio Network
Will Blake '19	Baltimore Ravens	Director for the Baltimore Ravens Gameday Network
AGENTS
Christopher Overton '19G	Believe Sports Group	NFLPA Certified Agent
FORMER NFLers
Don Shula '51	Miami Dolphins/Baltimore Colts	Head Coach
Carl Taseff '51	Dolphins	Assistant Coach - Offensive Backs
Sil Cornachione '51	Dolphins	Scout / Front Office
Dick Walker '55	Patriots/Steelers	Assistant Coach
Chuck Priefer '63	Packers/Chargers/Lions	Assistant Coach (Special Teams)
Gary Stevens '65	Miami Dolphins	Offensive Coordinator
John Ray ^	Buffalo Bills	Defensive Coordinator
Ken O'Keefe '75	Dolphins	Wide Receivers/Senior Offensive Assistant
Scott DiBendetto '13	Cleveland Browns	Scouting Assistant / Coaching Analyst
Ben Milsom ’01	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Chief Ticketing Officer
Josh McDaniels ’99	Las Vegas Raiders	Head Coach
Tom Telesco ’95	Las Vegas Raiders	General Manager
Noah Tylutki '21, '23G	Baltimore Ravens	Communications Intern
Joe Dever '19G ^	Cleveland Browns	Mid-Atlantic Area Scout
N'Tare Williamson '22	Minnesota Vikings	Scouting Associate
Jahiem Peake '24	Detroit Lions	Business Development Account Executive
FORMER NFL PLAYERS
Gene Stringer '25	Cleveland Bulldogs
Graham Armstrong '41	Cleveland Rams/Buffalo Bills
Pat Lahey '41	Chicago Rockets (AAFC)
Ed Ecker '44	Chicago Bears/Green Bay Packers/Washington
Don Shula '51	Cleveland Browns/Baltimore Colts/Washington
Carl Taseff '51	Cleveland Browns/Baltimore Colts/Washington/Eagles/Bills
Burrell Shields '52	Pittsburgh Steelers/Baltimore Colts
Chuck McMillan '54	Baltimore Colts
Larry Wanke '91	New York Giants
London Fletcher '97	St. Louis Rams/Buffalo Bills/Washington
Tom Arth '03	Indianapolis Colts/Green Bay Packers

^ Former John Carroll coach

NFL DRAFT PICKS (links to Pro Football Reference)

Year	Name	Round	Pick	Team	Position
1949	Jim Moran	18	179	CHI	B
1951	Sig Holowenko	6	63	GNB	T
1951	Don Shula	9	110	CLE	DB
1951	Carl Taseff	22	267	CLE	DB
1951	Joe Minor	23	273	PIT	E
1952	Burrell Shields	6	72	CLE	HB
1953	John Zanetti	27	316	WAS	T
1954	Chuck McMillan	13	149	BAL	DB
1954	Joe Fagan	29	343	PIT	T
1955	John (Buck) Byrne	14	162	PIT	G
1957	Joe Smaltz	21	253	NYG	B
1960	Frank Walton	18	207	DET	HB
1963	Tim Gauntner	12	94	BOS (AFL)	HB
1964	Tony Gibbons	15	116	BOS (AFL)	T
1964	Tony Gibbons	20	277	NYG	T
1965	Charley Englehart	19	259	PHI	T
1975	Tim Barrett	14	341	CLE	RB
1991	Larry Wanke	12	334	NYG	QB

 

JOHN CARROLL IN THE SUPER BOWL: FAST FACTS

• Winning the last Super Bowl with the Chiefs, Jalen Myrick marked the 73rd instance where a Blue Streak participated in the Super Bowl. A total of 26 individuals from the University have been present in "The Big Game" in its history.
• 29 Super Bowls in 59 years have featured at least one representative from John Carroll University, including nine straight years with a Blue Streak employed by a participating team (since Super Bowl LI)
• In all games, Blue Streaks hold an overall record of 44-29, though there have been five matchups over the years that featured familiar faces on both sidelines (Super Bowls XXXVI, XLVII, LI, LV, and LVII).

JOHN CARROLL IN THE SUPER BOWL: FULL LIST

III: Don Shula '51 (Baltimore Colts, Head Coach)
VI: Don Shula '51 (Miami Dolphins, Head Coach), Carl Taseff '51 (Miami Dolphins, Assistant Coach - Offensive Backs), Sil Cornachione '51 (Miami Dolphins, Front Office/Scout)
VII: Don Shula '51 (Miami Dolphins, Head Coach), Carl Taseff '51 (Miami Dolphins, Assistant Coach - Offensive Backs), Sil Cornachione '51 (Miami Dolphins, Front Office/Scout)
VIII: Don Shula '51 (Miami Dolphins, Head Coach), Carl Taseff '51 (Miami Dolphins, Assistant Coach - Offensive Backs), Sil Cornachione '51 (Miami Dolphins, Front Office/Scout)
XIII: Dick Walker '55 (Pittsburgh Steelers, Assistant Coach - Defensive Backs)
XIV: Dick Walker '55 (Pittsburgh Steelers, Assistant Coach - Defensive Backs)
XVII: Don Shula '51 (Miami Dolphins, Head Coach), Carl Taseff '51 (Miami Dolphins, Assistant Coach - Offensive Backs & Special Teams)
XIX: Don Shula '51 (Miami Dolphins, Head Coach), Carl Taseff '51 (Miami Dolphins, Assistant Coach - Offensive Backs)
XXIX: Chuck Priefer '63 (San Diego Chargers, Assistant Coach - Special Teams)
XXXIV: London Fletcher '98 (St. Louis Rams, Starting Middle Linebacker)
XXXV: Pat Moriarty '93G (Baltimore Ravens, Chief Financial Officer)
XXXVI: London Fletcher '98 (St. Louis Rams, Starting Middle Linebacker), Nick Caserio '98 (New England Patriots, Personnel Assistant), Josh McDaniels '99 (New England Patriots, Personnel Assistant)
XXXVIII: Nick Caserio '98 (New England Patriots, Area Scout), Josh McDaniels '99 (New England Patriots, Defensive Assistant Coach)
XXXIX: Nick Caserio '98 (New England Patriots, Director of Pro Personnel), Josh McDaniels '99 (New England Patriots, Assistant Coach - Quarterbacks)
XLI: Chris Polian '93 (Indianapolis Colts, Vice President of Football Operations), Tom Telesco '95 (Indianapolis Colts, Director of Player Personnel), David Caldwell '96 (Indianapolis Colts, Western Regional Scout)
XLII: Nick Caserio '98 (New England Patriots, Assistant Coach - Wide Receivers), Josh McDaniels '99 (New England Patriots, Assistant Coach - Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks)
XLIV: Chris Polian '93 (Indianapolis Colts, Vice President of Football Operations), Tom Telesco '95 (Indianapolis Colts, Director of Player Personnel)
XLVI: Nick Caserio '98 (New England Patriots, Director of Player Personnel), Josh McDaniels '99 (New England Patriots, Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks)
XLVII: Pat Moriarty '93G (Baltimore Ravens, Senior Vice President of Football Administration), Greg Roman '95 (San Francisco 49ers, Assistant Coach - Offensive Coordinator)
XLIX:  Nick Caserio '98 (New England Patriots, Director of Player Personnel), Josh McDaniels '99 (New England Patriots, Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks), Jerry Schuplinski '99, '02G (New England Patriots, Assistant Coach), Dave Ziegler '01, '07G (New England Patriots, Director of Pro Scouting)
LI:  Nick Caserio '98 (New England Patriots, Director of Player Personnel), Josh McDaniels '99 (New England Patriots, Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks), Jerry Schuplinski '99, '02G (New England Patriots, Assistant Coach - Quarterbacks), Dave Ziegler '01, '07G (New England Patriots, Director of Pro Scouting), Nick Caley '06 (New England Patriots, Assistant Coach), Frank Ross '12 (New England Patriots, Pro Scout), D.J. Debick '13 (New England Patriots, Scouting Assistant), Jesse Ackerman '02, '07G (Atlanta Falcons, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach)
LII:  Nick Caserio '98 (New England Patriots, Director of Player Personnel), Josh McDaniels '99 (New England Patriots, Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks), Jerry Schuplinski '99, '02G (New England Patriots, Assistant Quarterbacks Coach), Dave Ziegler '01, '07G (New England Patriots, Director of Pro Personnel), Nick Caley '06 (New England Patriots, Assistant Coach - Tight Ends), Frank Ross '12 (New England Patriots, Pro Scout), D.J. Debick '13 (New England Patriots, Scouting Assistant)
LIII:  Nick Caserio '98 (New England Patriots, Director of Player Personnel), Josh McDaniels '99 (New England Patriots, Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks), Jerry Schuplinski '99, '02G (New England Patriots, Assistant Quarterbacks Coach), Dave Ziegler '01, '07G (New England Patriots, Director of Pro Personnel), Nick Caley '06 (New England Patriots, Assistant Coach - Tight Ends), D.J. Debick '13 (New England Patriots, Area Scout)
LIV:  Danny Markino '18 (Kansas City Chiefs, Season Communications Assistant), Jalen Myrick '19 (Kansas City Chiefs, Scouting Intern)
LV: Ben Milsom '01 (Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Chief Ticketing Officer), Jalen Myrick '19 (Kansas City Chiefs, Player Personnel Assistant)
LVI: Jonathan Cooley '11, '14G (Los Angeles Rams, Assistant Coach - Secondary), Chris Shula ^ (Los Angeles Rams, Linebackers Coach)
LVII: David Caldwell '96 (Philadelphia Eagles, Senior Personnel Director/Advisor to the General Manager), Jarrod Kilburn ‘14 (Eagles, College & Pro Scout), Joe Kasper (Eagles, Wide Receivers Coach), and Jalen Myrick ‘19 (Kansas City Chiefs, College & Pro Scout)
LVIII: Jalen Myrick ‘19 (Kansas City Chiefs, College & Pro Scout)
LVIX: David Caldwell '96 (Philadelphia Eagles, Senior Personnel Director/Advisor to the General Manager), Jarrod Kilburn ‘14 (Eagles, College & Pro Scout), Joe Kasper (Eagles, Safeties Coach), and Jalen Myrick ‘19 (Kansas City Chiefs, College & Pro Scout)