Barry McNamara  |   Published October 18, 2021

Distinguished Young Alumnus

NFL coach Alex Tanney to accept honor through videotaped message during Monmouth’s Alumni Impact Awards ceremony.

MONMOUTH, Ill. – Alex Tanney, a member of the Philadelphia Eagles’ coaching staff, is this year’s recipient of Monmouth College’s Distinguished Young Alumnus Award.

ALEX TANNEY: After nine years playing in the NFL, the former Fighting Scots quarterback is now a ... ALEX TANNEY: After nine years playing in the NFL, the former Fighting Scots quarterback is now a member of the Philadelphia Eagles' coaching staff.Due to Tanney’s professional obligations, he is unable to attend the College’s Alumni Impact Awards ceremony during Homecoming weekend, Oct. 22-24, but he will accept the honor through a videotaped message.

During Tanney’s illustrious career at Monmouth, he set the NCAA all-divisions record for touchdown passes – a mark that still stands – and received the Melberger Award, also known as the “Division III Heisman.” He led the Fighting Scots to three NCAA playoff berths, each year also receiving the Midwest Conference Offensive Player of the Year honor.

Following his senior season in 2011, Tanney set his sights on the NFL, and he played nine seasons with eight teams. Early on, he learned from such quarterbacks as Matt Cassell and Tony Romo. Later in his career, he was the one serving as the experienced veteran, passing on his knowledge, most notably to rookie New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones.

Shortly following his retirement from the NFL at the end of the 2020 season, Tanney was hired to join the staff of new Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni. Tanney, who played for the Kansas City Chiefs while Sirianni was an assistant there, is Philadelphia’s offensive quality control coach.

Tanney graduated from Monmouth with a degree in business administration and economics. He joined the Scots after playing football at Lexington (Ill.) High School, where his father, Monmouth alumnus Don Tanney ’79, was the head coach.

Two years ago, Tanney was also honored at the Alumni Impact Awards, along with his father, brother Mitch Tanney ’06 and sister-in-law Ashley Yeast Tanney ’08, as the Tanneys were recognized as Monmouth’s Family of the Year.

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