He barely smiled, but, then again, Paul Pasqualoni isn’t exactly known forflashing his pearly whites.

Still, for the first time in a long time, the former Syracuse University head football coach seemed calm and collected, and – finally – open to sharing his feelings. A day after having been fired, Pasqualoni addressed the media in the lobby of the Iocolano-Petty Football Wing in Manley Field House to say his goodbyes and field questions about his departure from the Syracuse football program.

‘I’m not in shock at all,’ Pasqualoni said. ‘Every day when you walk in those doors (at Manley Field House), you understand that you’ve got top get the job done.’

After Chancellor Nancy Cantor held a press conference on Dec. 6 to announce that the university had every intention of retaining him as its head coach for a 15th straight season, Pasqualoni said he was well aware that he could still possibly be fired during the off season. He had heard the rumblings in the press and the discontent from the fans. He also understood that an intention is hardly a guarantee.

‘Losing your job is a risk that you take every single day,’ Pasqualoni said, smugly. But even during the Champs Sports Bowl on Dec. 21, as his team was being embarrassed to the tune of a 51-14 loss at the hands of Georgia Tech, Pasqualoni said he never once thought about the prospect of losing his job – mostly, he admitted, because he was too concerned with how his players were going to handle such a deflating defeat.

The worry that Pasqualoni alluded to having for his players during the Champs Sports Bowl loss is how the former coach said he would like to be remembered. His coaches cared about the players, he said, and always tried to remember the fact that the ‘kids’ he was guiding were someone’s child. Those interactions with the players were what he was most proud of – not his streak of eleven straight winning seasons that ended in 2002.

‘It all depends on what you call success,’ Pasqualoni said. ‘I’m awfully proud of those kids.’

Unfortunately, Pasqualoni said, he was unable to lead his team to victories in games that they ‘could’ve, would’ve, should’ve’ won over the years.

‘I take full responsibility,’ Pasqualoni said, ‘ya know, I’m the head coach.’

Pasqualoni maintained, though, that football glory is possible at SU – despite the difficulties that the cold, harsh winters present during the recruitment process. And he, like SU Director of Athletics Daryl Gross, believes that SU can field a stronger team as early as next season, whoever the coach may be.

‘Syracuse has got a chance,’ he said correcting himself from an earlier statement in which he referred to next season’s squad as ‘we.’ Then he reminded the crowd of reporters that his team had earned a share of the Big East title this past season.

Pasqualoni said he’ll mostly miss the interactions with the players, the coaching staff, the athletic department and the academic departments, and claimed he could not ‘think there could be a better working environment’ than the one fostered for the football program at SU.

‘I’m a better guy today for coming to Syracuse 18 years ago,’ Pasqualoni said.

And, he said, he’s sure he’ll coach again – he’s just not sure where. He said he wants to let the dust settle first. After all, he said, it’s only been a day since he’s become unemployed.

‘My problem is now I’ve got to go find a real job,’ Pasqualoni said, jokingly. ‘I’ve coached ninth grade (football) before, and I’ll coach it again.’

As the seemingly never-ending array questions began coming at a slightly slower pace, Pasqualoni admitted to having enjoyed his interactions with the reporters who followed his teams – even though he said he was sure that the reporters never grasped that fact.

He then took a step backward from the podium, turned his back on the crowd and walked away through a set of doors in the hallway behind him.

Said Pasqualoni: ‘It’s been a gift.’

Published on January 4, 2005 at 12:00 pm