Patriots

Former Patriots offensive coordinator Ernie Zampese dies at 86

Ernie Zampese, right, and longtime Patriots assistant coach Dante Scarnecchia at Patriots training camp in 1999. The Boston Globe

By The Boston Globe

August 29, 2022

Ernie Zampese, who served as an assistant coach in the NFL for 26 seasons, including a stint with the Patriots, has died at the age of 86.

The news was confirmed by the Washington Commanders, the organization for whom Zampese’s son is the quarterbacks coach.

“We mourn the loss of Ernie Zampese, father of QB coach Ken Zampese, and one of the most innovative offensive minds throughout his long NFL coaching career. Our hearts are with Ken and the entire Zampese family,” the Commanders tweeted.

Earlier this summer, he was recognized by the Pro Football Hall of Fame with an Award of Excellence.

He was the offensive coordinator for the Patriots under Pete Carroll for two seasons beginning in 1998. In 30 starts in 1998 and 1999, Drew Bledsoe, who missed the final two games of the 1999 season with an injury, threw for 7,618 yards and 39 touchdowns.

Zampese earned a Super Bowl ring as the offensive coordinator for Troy Aikman and the Dallas Cowboys in 1995. The Hall of Fame quarterback took to Instagram to praise his former coach, calling him “one of the brightest offensive minds in the history of the game.”

He returned to the Cowboys in 2000, serving as an offensive consultant for two seasons, then held the same title with the St. Louis Rams in 2002 and in Washington in 2004.