Barry McNamara  |   Published February 12, 2021

Tanney to Coach in NFL

Former Fighting Scots great named to Philadelphia Eagles’ staff, two days after retiring from nine-year career as NFL quarterback.
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MONMOUTH, Ill. – Former Monmouth College standout Alex Tanney retired from the National Football League on Tuesday, but it didn’t take him long to find his next NFL gig.

ALEX TANNEY: To serve as offensive quality control coach for NFL's Philadelphia Eagles. ALEX TANNEY: To serve as offensive quality control coach for NFL's Philadelphia Eagles.On Thursday, the Philadelphia Eagles announced they’d hired Tanney to join first-year head coach Nick Sirianni’s staff as an offensive quality control coach. He was one of six additions named Thursday to Sirianni’s staff.

It was widely believed that Tanney would find his way into coaching sooner rather than later, especially after the praise he received for working with New York Giants rookie quarterback Daniel Jones, who is now the team’s starter. Tanney was with the Giants for three seasons, the final team of eight that he was a member of during his nine-year NFL career.

Tanney’s name remains atop the all-time NCAA list for all divisions with his 157 touchdown passes, and his 14,249 passing yards and 1,205 career completions are both Division III records.

Tanney was the Midwest Conference’s Offensive Player of the Year each of the three seasons that he led the Fighting Scots to MWC titles and NCAA playoff berths (2008, 2009 and 2011). He quarterbacked the Fighting Scots to a pair of first-round NCAA playoff wins.

The Giants were one of two teams that Tanney saw action with during a regular-season NFL game. He also played in a game for the Tennessee Titans during the 2015 season, completing the only touchdown pass of his NFL career.

Tanney was also a member of the Kansas City Chiefs, Dallas Cowboys, Cleveland Browns, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Buffalo Bills and Indianapolis Colts since coming into the league in 2012.

“I am really proud but not surprised that Alex was able to play in the NFL for nine years. It is a testament to his character, work ethic and football ability.” – Chad Braun

“I am really proud but not surprised that Alex was able to play in the NFL for nine years,” said Monmouth head coach Chad Braun, who was an assistant coach during Tanney’s time with the team. “It is a testament to his character, work ethic and football ability. His legacy is all over the Monmouth College and NCAA record books. He has several records that in my opinion will never be broken.”

Tanney followed his father, Don Tanney ’79, and one of his brothers, Mitch Tanney ’06, to Monmouth. Both are in the M Club Hall of Fame.

“Alex came from a football family and understood the preparation and dedication it took to become the best football player, teammate and leader he could be in his time at Monmouth,” said Steve Bell, Tanney’s head coach at Monmouth and now the head coach at Augustana College. “Looking back, it was an absolute pleasure to work with such a terrific quarterback who had a work ethic and innate abilities that you rarely see at the D3 level.”

Bell has remained close to Tanney through the years.

“I feel very fortunate to be part of his career and have such a strong friendship with him today,” he said. “Alex would be the first to tell you that he wouldn’t have been able to accomplish all he did at Monmouth without the support and accomplishments of his friends (teammates) on those great teams.”

Although Monmouth fans remember him more for his accomplishments leading the Scots on the field, he also gained national notoriety for a trick-shot video he put together, which highlighted his pinpoint accuracy. The video has been viewed more than 4.4 million times.

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