Falcons name tight ends coach, O-line assistant

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- The Atlanta Falcons today named Chris Scelfo the team’s new tight ends coach and Paul Dunn the assistant offensive line coach.

Scelfo joins the Falcons after serving as the head coach of the Tulane Green Wave from 1998-2006. During that time frame, he guided Tulane to 37 victories while becoming the first head coach to win two bowl games during his tenure after claiming victories in the 1998 Liberty Bowl and 2002 Hawaii Bowl. Scelfo also sent 10 of his players to the NFL, which includes first-round draft choices, quarterbacks Patrick Ramsey and J.P. Losman.

Prior to his stint at Tulane, Scelfo was the assistant head coach/offensive line coach for the Georgia Bulldogs from 1996-1998. Georgia compiled a 23-11 record during his three seasons, including a 10-2 mark in 1997. Scelfo coached four offensive linemen draft picks in Matt Stinchcomb, Adam Meadows, Chris Terry and Jonas Jennings while UGA made an Outback Bowl appearance in 1997 and earned a Peach Bowl berth in 1998.

Scelfo was at Marshall University from 1990-1995 and served as an offensive line coach (1990-1992) and offensive coordinator (1993-1995). The Thundering Herd won the 1992 I-AA National Championship and led their conference in scoring offense for three years while Scelfo was the offensive coordinator. The Louisiana native earned his coaching start as a graduate assistant at Northeast Louisiana from 1986-1987 and served in the same role at Oklahoma from 1988-1989.

Dunn comes to the Falcons after serving at the offensive line coach (2005-2007) for the Pittsburgh Panthers, his alma mater. Last season, Pitt’s offensive line paved the way for running back LeSean McCoy who rushed for 1,328 yards and 14 touchdowns. The line also blocked for quarterback Pat Bostick who completed 155 of 252 passes for 1,500 yards and eight touchdowns.

Before returning to Pittsburgh, Dunn was the running game coordinator and offensive line coach for the Kentucky Wildcats from 2003-2004. During the 2003 season, Kentucky produced 24 rushing touchdowns, the third highest total in school history.

Dunn has also registered coaching stints at Kansas State (running game coordinator and offensive line coach, 1998-2002), Vanderbilt (offensive line coach, 1996-1997), Cincinnati (offensive line coach, 1994-1995), Maine (offensive line coach, 1990-1993), Rutgers (offensive line coach, 1989) and Edinboro (offensive line, 1986-1988). He earned his coaching start at Pittsburgh as a graduate assistant in 1983, prior to joining the Penn State Nittany Lions as a graduate assistant under head coach Joe Paterno (1984-1985).

Current Falcons coaching staff to date: Mike Smith (Head Coach), Emmitt Thomas (Assistant Head Coach), Mike Mularkey (Offensive Coordinator), Brian VanGorder (Defensive Coordinator), Keith Armstrong (Special Teams Coordinator), Gerald Brown (Running Backs Coach), Dunn (Assistant Offensive Line Coach), Jeff Fish (Strength and Conditioning Coach), Ray Hamilton (Defensive Line Coach), Bill Hughan (Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach), Tom McMahon (Assistant Special Teams Coach), Bill Musgrave (Quarterbacks Coach), Terry Robiskie (Wide Receivers Coach), Chris Scelfo (Tight Ends Coach), Glenn Thomas (Offensive Quality Control Coach).

Chris Scelfo’s Coaching Background

Paul Dunn’s Coaching Background