The one thing I've been waiting to learn more than anything is...who IS Doug Marrone? Forget the football schemes and the recruiting and all that nonsense. I wanna know where he likes to eat on Marshall Street (so I can stalk him). I wanna know what he likes to drink (so I can bathe in it). I wanna know where he lived while at SU (so I can douse myself in deer blood and roll around on the doorstep while chanting "Do It Doug...Do It Doug...Do It Doug").
You know, fun stuff. Leave it to Pete Thamel on the NY Times to get down to it with an extensive interview. Pete caught Marrone in the middle of a caffiene purge that included two Red Bulls and a Diet Coke. He's prepped.
Where did Duggan live while at SU?
We lived in Skytop, which was a great experience. One of the things I was looking for coming out of high school, being an only child, was that I wanted to make sure that I had my own room. Back when I played, there were still quite few academic dormitories. I remember visiting a school in the SEC and I just remember walking in and everything was close by, but I just remember they had security cameras and cameras all over the place. It felt more like I was in an institution. I just felt I was very comfortable. Skytop is mostly for upperclassmen. So it took me a few years to get to know everyone in that area. That for me was a tremendous experience, except for the part where I had to walk down to Manley when the buses weren’t running.
Favorite Marshall Street Watering Hole?
...the place I remember the most was the Varsity. The reason is that it was probably the only place that would cash a kid from New York City’s checks. That’s the place I remember the most as a player. The great tradition of putting up the banners of the upcoming schedule. I would go in there and it would be a constant reminder: “What am I doing to be sure I can turn one of these banners?”
On the food in New Orleans...
Even though it’s a city, it’s still a very small community. We really enjoyed it there. The oysters down there are excellent. The seafood there is excellent. The way they cook, the style was tremendous.
I feel like "tremendous" is going to be a Marrone word to remember. Hold on to that.
His favorite restaurant in Syracuse?
I’ve always love Grimaldi’s. When I first took the job, I was on Erie Boulevard. I was like, man, I should go see Freddy and stop by Grimaldi’s. Someone told me it moved to Carrier Circle. That’s always been my favorite Italian restaurant. Of all the places I’ve been. I used to eat there all the time. I loved it.
On George O'Leary:
I caught that break from Northeastern when George O’Leary was hired as the head coach at Georgia Tech. He had recruited me to Syracuse when I was in high school. We always have maintained a tremendous relationship. And not to disrespect my own father, it’s like father-son. It really is.
On the changes in the recruiting world:
I have a lot of friends that are high school coaches. A good friend of mine had a tape of a kid and he was good. I called my buddy and said, ‘What do I need to do to get in with this kid?’ He said, ‘You don’t want this kid.’ I said, ‘What do you mean?’ He said, ‘Doug, I could make a highlight tape and make anyone look great.’ I said, ‘Whoa.’ That’s when I took a step back and said, ‘We need to go slow and make the right decision.’
On DOCTOR Gross:
We have a tremendous open line of communication and he’s very interested in the direction that I’m going now that I have the job. I could not envision the amount of support that’s been given to me by our chancellor and Dr. Gross. Everything that we need to be successful here, he’s given me to this point. His encouragement and enthusiasm is tremendous. I can’t say enough good things.
On what kind of offense SU will run:
We’re going to have no-huddle. We’re going to be multiple. Its going to be a combination of what Rob Spence and I have done and the success that we’ve had. Basically, it has to be built around the team. We don’t know who the playmakers are. We have to have the system in place, which is multiple, so if our best player is a running back or a slot receiver we can highlight them. Really, that’s how I’ve always been successful and that’s what we’re going to do.
On the one word(s) no one is allowed to utter:
West Coast.
Done and done. That's just a taste, do give the whole interview a read, very good stuff.