When you walk into Mike Sirianni’s office on the historic campus of Washington & Jefferson College, a few items of memorabilia stand out. Sure, there are photos and awards that commemorate his own coaching accomplishments. But then you look closer and see the autographed ball with the Philadelphia Eagles logo, another of both his girls posing with Eagles star quarterback Jalen Hurts.
Sirianni is now two decades into his tenure at Washington & Jefferson, a perennial power in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference. He’s had a winning season all 20 years he’s been at the helm, with a career record of 176-42.
Only twice has Sirianni tried to give his youngest brother career advice. The first was a suggestion to join him on the W&J coaching staff. The second was to stay at the Division III level, at their beloved alma mater Mount Union, rather than hurriedly climb the ladder of college coaching.
“I swung and missed,” Mike Sirianni said with a smile, “so I guess that’s a good thing.”
Of course, that's a major understatement. Sunday night on football's largest coaching stage, Mike's little brother Nick will lead his Eagles onto the field against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
“When I tried to get him in 2006, it was because I thought he was going to be a good coach,” Mike said, sitting next to a framed photo of himself, his dad and his brothers on the field after an Eagles game. “Now, to get where he’s at now? I don't think anyone envisioned that. … It’s just such a surreal thing for us, because his rise was so quick.”
Living the dream
Indeed, Nick Sirianni made all the right moves to kick-start his rapid rise, an ascent that carries him to the Super Bowl this weekend in Arizona. The second-year Eagles head coach is relatively new to this role, but his oldest brother has been wearing that hat for a long time right here in Western Pennsylvania.
“How lucky am I that I have all these great coaching mentors, but then I have these great coaching mentors within my family?” Nick Sirianni told NFL Network after a training camp practice in August. “They have to answer my call when I have a question for them.”
In addition to Mike, middle brother Jay won two state championships at Southwestern Central High School in western New York, their alma mater. That’s where they played for their father, Fran, originally from Kane, Pa., 2½ hours northeast of Pittsburgh. Their mother Amy hails from Natrona Heights, so family reunions around here were common for the boys as youngsters.
But only Mike Sirianni found himself back in this neck of the woods to stay. Back in 2006, Nick took a job at IUP and spent three years with the region’s preeminent Division II program as wide receivers coach. He parlayed that into an entry-level gig coaching under Todd Haley with the Chiefs, later caught on with the Chargers and became the Colts offensive coordinator in 2018.
If he’d have listened to his brother, perhaps he wouldn’t have found the fast track to coaching stardom. But now, 18 years after he drove home from Mount Union to watch the Steelers beat the Seahawks in Super Bowl XL with his dad and brothers, they’re all going to the big game for the first time — with much more of a rooting interest. Talk about a whirlwind of emotions.
“It’s kind of settled down a little bit, although now all these people want to interview you, and I know it’s not because I’m the head coach of a Division III school,” Mike said with a laugh, wearing an Eagles quarter-zip Monday morning. “But he’s still just my little brother. He’s the same kid we picked on mercilessly so much when he was younger.”
Nick, 41, is the baby of the family, nine years younger than Mike. While Nick prepares for the biggest game of his life, Mike, his wife, Jennifer, and their daughters Jenna and Jordan will be “along for the ride” at State Farm Stadium. Jennifer is a teacher at Ambridge High School and the local Siriannis live in Beaver County, which is why Nick was seen wearing a Hopewell High School volleyball T-shirt during one of his interviews since becoming the Eagles coach.
Much of this magical run for Philadelphia has been a family affair. Mike has attended several Eagles games this season, including the 35-13 rout of the Steelers. He and his girls were at Lincoln Financial Field two weeks ago for the NFC championship against the 49ers, and while that win was sweet, the highlight of the day might’ve been Nick’s postgame press conference when his 5-year-old daughter Taylor went viral for rolling her eyes and pretending to talk with her hands as her dad answered a question at the podium.
“That’s her personality,” said her uncle Mike. “It’s so funny. Nick was mad. When he walked out of the room, he was like, ‘I’m never taking her in there again.’ My wife was dying laughing. It was hilarious. She is something else.”
A nugget of wisdom
You could say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Nick Sirianni has garnered a reputation for his quirkiness, which isn't always the calling card for head coaches in such a serious business.
But he doesn't take himself too seriously, which can be a double-edged sword. Even Mike admitted that his younger daughter “will cringe at some of the stuff he says” and sometimes they just have to turn off his interviews, especially now that he’s on camera seemingly 24/7 in the lead-up to Chiefs-Eagles.
For all his charm coming from a down-to-earth family, Nick’s regular-guy persona has attracted scrutiny. You can go all the way back to his introductory press conference when the Eagles hired him, with some fans and media contending that he seemed unpolished as a public speaker, or even cheesy as a wide-eyed 39-year-old thrust into arguably the toughest sports town in the country.
More recently, he did an exaggerated head nod while looking right into the camera as the Eagles beat the Giants in the divisional round. Even Giants safety Julian Love joined the choir of critics, saying on NFL Network he didn’t like that gesture and that Sirianni is doing a good job but is “in for a free ride” because of how talented the Eagles are. Basically, Love’s contention is that anyone could lead this team to a Lombardi Trophy.
“If anyone says they don't hear that stuff, they're lying. I’m sorry,” Mike said of his baby brother being under the microscope. “Even when big-time coaches say, ‘I don’t listen to the media’ — come on, yes you do. You see it, or someone’s going to show it to you. Someone left me a nasty message after they started the [2021] season 2-5. A fan got my phone number and left me the nastiest message.”
Mike’s view on it all is that Nick is simply being himself, and while he stepped into the NFL spotlight with humility and appreciation for the task at hand, he’s still a fiery competitor. So if you see a clip of him talking trash after a game or swaggering around the sidelines, it’s the same thing he would’ve done after winning a big basketball game in high school.
“Yeah, it’s tough to walk by the TV and see them criticizing your brother,” Mike Sirianni said. “As long as they criticize him in a way where it’s about football, not about other things. I told him right away when he got the job, I sent him a quote from [Clemson coach] Dabo Swinney: Who cares who criticizes you unless it’s someone you would take advice from? I told him this is what you’ve got to live by.”
Brotherly love
Beyond that, the winningest coach in Washington & Jefferson history hasn't tried to leave his fingerprints on the Philadelphia Eagles. Mike Sirianni doesn't pretend to be the brains behind Nick’s schemes or take any credit for moves being made by what’s widely considered one of the league’s best coaching staffs.
Sure, all three brothers are in a group text together, and occasionally they bounce ideas off each other. But if you ask Mike, the biggest influences on all their careers have been their college coach Larry Kehres and their dad.
Kehres had the highest winning percentage in college football history (.929) and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2017 after leading Mount Union to a Division III-record 11 national titles. Fran Sirianni fought off Hodgkin’s lymphoma twice when his sons were growing up, and did so with a steely resolve that taught them how to overcome adversity at a young age.
“That’s a different type of mental toughness that I was raised with from my dad,” Nick said Monday, opening night of Super Bowl festivities. “I can't wait for him to be here. He puts his head down and fights and keeps going to the next day. ... A lot of it comes from me getting the crap kicked out of me by my two older brothers, playing basketball with them, playing tackle football with them in the living room, having boxing matches with them with the couch pillows.”
Yes, life is changing by the victory for the Sirianni clan, but as much as they pinch themselves, they also remain the same. Mike chuckled about how Nick and his older daughter got into an argument over the summer, and when they were all together at Nick’s house following the NFC championship, that debate picked up right where it left off the last time.
One question Mike Sirianni has been asked numerous times — and it’s happening now more than ever — is whether he’d want to chase a higher-profile job, especially with how much buzz their last name has these days. Every once in a while, Nick gives a plug to the Washington & Jefferson program, and just recently a prospect from the eastern side of the state asked Mike if he’s related to that Sirianni.
This Sirianni has long been a firm believer that all three brothers — one in high school, one in the small college ranks and one at the very top of the profession — have always been at the level they’re meant to be. And he vowed to never uproot his children the way so many have to in this nomadic business.
Then again, it’s not at all uncommon for NFL decision-makers to hire friends and family members for various roles. And if the Eagles take down Patrick Mahomes and company, their head coach will have plenty of juice.
“I don’t know. I don’t want to say no. I don’t want to say yes,” Mike Sirianni admitted. “That’s probably never going to happen, and I’m fine with that. We like it here. And we still haven’t won a national championship, so, we’ll see what happens.”
Brian Batko: bbatko@post-gazette.com and Twitter @BrianBatko.
First Published: February 12, 2023, 10:30 a.m.