Nighthawks Name Cosmo DeMatteo New Head Coach
October 10, 2012 - Professional Indoor Football League (PIFL)
Knoxville NightHawks News Release
KNOXVILLE - The Knoxville Nighthawks have made a change at the top.
Cosmo DeMatteo will be the new head coach replacing Chris Mackeown.
DeMatteo was Defensive coach of the Georgia Force (AFL) in 2012, Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator and Director of Player Personnel of the Tennessee Valley Vipers in (AF 2). He led the Vipers offense for two seasons and spent a total of seven seasons in the Arena League, including five as a player. In 2008, the Vipers won the Arena Cup and, in 2009, they were the Eastern Division Champions.
"I am really looking forward to working with the Knoxville organization and building a winner for the city to be proud of," DeMatteo said.
"Fans expect and deserve the best product possible when it comes to indoor football and I am going to make sure that happens."
DeMatteo had a impressive playing career. He was a wide receiver in NFL Europe (2002), MVP and offenive MVP AF2 (2002), was named Iron Man of the Year AFL (2003).
DeMatteo received his B.A. in Psychology from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 2001. In 2010 he was inducted to the school's Athletics Hall of Fame, and shortly after graduation he was named to the "All-Century Football Team" along with Terrell Owens. He was also a two-time I-AA All-American, two-time All-Southern Conference Wide Receiver and still holds the NCAA Division I-AA record for most receiving touchdowns in one game (6). DeMatteo stands second in the UTC record book in career receptions and fourth in yardage.
Coach DeMatteo has also been on the big screen to play a role in the remake of "The Longest Yard" and was a principal actor in Disney's "Invincible".
The Nighthawks will hold a media meet and greet event in the near future to welcome DeMatteo to Knoxville and will also announce a pair of staff members who are both former SEC players with national championship rings.
• Discuss this story on the Professional Indoor Football League message board...
Professional Indoor Football League Stories from October 10, 2012
- Nighthawks Name Cosmo DeMatteo New Head Coach - Knoxville NightHawks
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
