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'Nova's Talley led Columbia to Bagnoli

NEW YORK - Before walking into the news conference Tuesday to announce that he would be Columbia's new football coach, Al Bagnoli spotted a Philadelphia reporter and asked, "What are you doing here?"

Columbia head football coach Al Bagnoli speaks during a press conference at Columbia University on February 24, 2015 in New York.
Columbia head football coach Al Bagnoli speaks during a press conference at Columbia University on February 24, 2015 in New York.Read more

NEW YORK - Before walking into the news conference Tuesday to announce that he would be Columbia's new football coach, Al Bagnoli spotted a Philadelphia reporter and asked, "What are you doing here?"

The response to the former Penn football coach: "What are you doing here?"

This was not a scene that anybody could have predicted, as Bagnoli acknowledges.

Yet his return to coaching after 23 seasons as Penn's head coach is a story with Philadelphia roots.

The road to Columbia began on the Main Line. Villanova football coach and longtime Bagnoli friend Andy Talley set the wheels in motion.

First off, Bagnoli, who announced last April that the 2014 season would be his final one as Penn's coach, tried his hand at Penn in administration and quickly discovered it wasn't for him.

Now the ex-coach and ex-administrator will be back on the sideline, introduced as the latest hope to attempt to resurrect a Columbia program that has lost 21 consecutive games and last had a winning season in 1996.

According to a source, Bagnoli's deal is for five years.

"When I retired, I was given administrative duties and they weren't as challenging as I hoped," Bagnoli said Tuesday before a packed news conference at Columbia's Faculty House on campus. "It wasn't anybody's fault, but it's just that I didn't have any idea what administration was."

His brief job was director of special projects.

"I realized I was meant for coaching rather than director of special projects," Bagnoli said.

Bagnoli replaced Pete Mangurian, who resigned in December after accusations from players surfaced that he had ignored concussion symptoms, a claim he denied.

Earlier this month, Columbia hired Peter Pilling as its new athletic director. One of the first things Pilling did was call Talley. Pilling had worked as an associate athletic director at Villanova for four years, beginning in the late 1990s. The new Columbia athletic director just wanted to run some names of candidates by Talley.

"At the end of the conversation, Andy said, you know who may be interested in the job is Al Bagnoli," Pilling said. "I thought that was very interesting."

Talley then got the two sides in touch with each other and Pilling drove to Philadelphia to meet with Bagnoli.

With a 148-80 record and nine overall Ivy League championships during his 23 seasons at Penn, Bagnoli certainly had the credentials. (Before that he was 86-19 in 10 seasons as head coach at Union College.)

The two hit it off, leading to Tuesday's news conference. For his role, Talley, according to Pilling, is owed a debt of gratitude.

"Andy Talley was the matchmaker and we owe him some nice Italian meals," Pilling said.

Even though he had worked at Villanova, Pilling said he didn't know much about Bagnoli. In doing research, Pilling talked to many with Philadelphia roots, including Temple basketball coach Fran Dunphy, the former Penn coach.

"I was close to Fran Dunphy, so through the process I talked to Fran, [former Penn athletic director] Steve Bilsky, former Penn players, and coaches," Pilling said. "I did a little background by talking to a lot of people, and everybody said it was a no-brainer to hire him."

Now Bagnoli is reenergized, and the 62-year-old coach wants his players to have the same enthusiasm.

"My first goal is to make football fun again, and I mean that," Bagnoli said. "Practice has to be the best two hours of your day."

Bagnoli has to hire a staff. He said while nothing is official, two coaches have agreed to come aboard.

Jon McLaughlin, who was Bagnoli's offensive line coach and offensive coordinator at Penn, is joining his staff at Columbia. His exact duties are to be determined.

Joe D'Orazio, two-time all-Ivy League choice and 2011 Penn graduate, will be a tight-ends coach. The previous two years he served as senior assistant to coach Andy Reid with the Kansas City Chiefs.

@sjnard