There are still some shining examples in the NFL and college coaching ranks of how great Hofstra’s football program was. You can point to some obvious ones like Saints receiver Marques Colston or Redskins lineman Stephen Bowen. You probably know the name Raheem Morris from his head coaching stint with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, or you could be familiar with Rutgers head coach Kyle Flood or Raiders assistant Joe Woods. The list goes on. There are some big names in football that coached or played in Hempstead.

But did you know Dan Quinn? He has one of the biggest names in football right now and he controlled his first defense while coaching the Dutchmen.

Seattle’s defensive coordinator, who has built one of the best defensive units ever, that won the Super Bowl last year and may win one again this year, coached at Hofstra from 1996-2000.

In early January, Quinn was rumored to get the Jets head coaching job, bringing him back to the tri-state area, but the gig went to Todd Bowles. Now he’s in the running for the Atlanta job, which is still vacant. If Quinn doesn’t get a job this year, it won’t be long before he’s running his own team.

At Hofstra, Quinn served as defensive line coach and defensive coordinator under the legendary Joe Gardi, who is also known for coaching the Jets’ Sack Exchange defense in the early 1980s.

“It was an absolutely amazing time for me,” Quinn told Newsday last year of his time at Hofstra. “It was one of the most awesome places to come up as a young coach.”
Quinn has had the typical journeyman coaching resume with stints at William & Mary and Virginia Military Institute before Hofstra, and with the San Francisco 49ers, Miami Dolphins, University of Florida and Seattle after.