Dreams & Hard Work Put Upstate New York Native In Super Bowl LVII

"This is something you dream about your whole life," is how Philadelphia Eagles head coach, Nick Sirianni opened his post-NFC Championship game press conference. That dream began playing in Sirianni's head many years ago in a small town in Upstate New York.

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Football was in Sirianni's blood and so was a tremendous work ethic. His father, Fran, was the head football coach at Nick's high school, Southwestern Central High School. His brother, Jay, is presently the football coach there and has won two state titles. Nick's other brother, Mike, is the winningest football coach in Washington & Jefferson College history.

It's easy to see that hard work, football and winning are part of the Jamestown, New York family. However, Nick Sirianni's success as NFL head coach appears to derive from his perspective on and off the field. That winning perspective developed more through the years, so did his aspirations. The Eagles' head coach led his college team, Mount Union, to three Division III national championships, scoring 13 touchdowns in his senior year. Then, Sirianni spent two decades of working his way up the coaching ranks to reach his NFL dream job with Philadelphia in 2021.

Fittingly, after the Eagles 31-7 pounding of the 49ers on Sunday, Sirianni told NFL.com what it took for his team to get to Super Bowl LVII, "We've got mentally tough guys that have been through ups and downs not only on the football field, but in life. When you're able to withstand the storm and just keep fighting, that not only sets you up well in life, but it prepares you for moments like this where it's going to be a slugfest back and forth." It sounds like a synopsis of how Nick Sirianni got to be a head coach in the NFL. Good luck to the Jamestown, New York native.