Ernie Zampese
| Sport(s) | Football |
|---|---|
| Biographical details | |
| Born |
March 12, 1936 Santa Barbara, California |
| Playing career | |
| USC | 1955–56 |
| Position(s) | Halfback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1962–63 | Allan Hancock J.C. (backfield) |
| 1964–65 | Allan Hancock J.C. |
| 1966 | Cal Poly (backfield) |
| 1967–75 | San Diego State Aztecs (def. backfield) |
| 1976 | San Diego Chargers (def. backfield) |
| 1977–78 | New York Jets (scout) |
| 1979–82 | San Diego Chargers (receivers) |
| 1983–85 | San Diego Chargers (asst. head coach) |
| 1986 | San Diego Chargers (off. coordinator) |
| 1987–93 | Los Angeles Rams (off. coordinator) |
| 1994–97 | Dallas Cowboys (off. coordinator) |
| 1998–99 | New England Patriots (off. coordinator) |
| 2000–01 | Dallas Cowboys (off. consultant) |
| 2002 | St. Louis Rams (off. consultant) |
| 2004 | Washington Redskins (off. consultant) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
|
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Ernie Zampese (born March 12, 1936) is a former American football player and coach. Playing for Santa Barbara High School, he was selected as the CIF Player of the Year in 1953 and went on to play at the halfback position for the USC Trojans in 1955 and 1956. Between 1962 and 1975, he was a college football coach at Allan Hancock Junior College (1962–1965), Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (1966) and San Diego State University (1967–1975). Between 1976 and 1999, he served as an assistant coach, scout, assistant head coach and offensive coordinator for various NFL teams. He gained his greatest acclaim as the assistant head coach and offensive coordinator of the San Diego Chargers during the Air Coryell years.
Despite his small size (5 feet, 8 inches and 155 pounds), Zampese played tailback for Santa Barbara High School from 1951 to 1953. As a senior in 1953, Zampese rushed for 869 yards (9.3 yards per carry) and 19 touchdowns. He also passed for 1008 yards and 14 passing touchdowns. In December 1953, he was selected by the Helms Athletic Foundation's football board as the CIF Player of the Year. The Los Angeles Times called him "Little Ernie Zampese, a durable workhorse who did everything well for the Santa Barbara High Dons." Zampese later recalled his days playing for the Dons as follows:
"We had a great tradition at Santa Barbara. The stadium was on the school grounds in a little bowl. The town was much smaller then and everyone watched the Santa Barbara Dons on Friday nights. The epitomy [sic] of success was to play for the Santa Barbara Dons. That was as high as you could go."
After graduating from high school, Zampese enrolled at the University of Southern California. He played left halfback for the USC Trojans football team from 1955 to 1956. Zampese developed a reputation as a colorful character at USC. In a 1987 feature story, the Los Angeles Times wrote of Zampese in his college days, "Zampese was a work of art, or so the legend goes, a guy who could paint the town Trojan Red at night and be seen whistling at sunrise the next morning, a Daily Racing Form folded under his arm, a soda in one hand and a cigarette in the other. Let's just say he wasn't headed for biology class." He had his best season for the Trojans as a junior in 1956. In the Trojans' final pre-season game in September 1956, Zampese scored two rushing touchdowns and returned a punt 66 yards. Zampese's performance led sports writer Braven Dyer to write, "A lightweight named Ernie Zampese stole the show ... Weighing less than the 160 pounds credited to him on Troy's roster, the slick Santa Barbara speedster sparked the so-called second varsity unit ..." In addition to playing halfback, Zampese was also the punter for the 1956 Trojans team and was among the national leaders with an average of 43.9 yards per punt. He set the USC record for longest punt, 85 yards against Wisconsin.
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