Sports

Morristown Alumnus Dan Quinn Named Cowboys Defensive Coordinator

Dan Quinn grew up in Morris Township and played football at Morristown High School.

Dan Quinn, a Morristown High School alumnus, coached the Falcons from 2015-20. The Cowboys named him defensive coordinator.
Dan Quinn, a Morristown High School alumnus, coached the Falcons from 2015-20. The Cowboys named him defensive coordinator. (Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

DALLAS — "America's Team" has some Morris Township representation. The Cowboys named Dan Quinn their defensive coordinator.

Quinn is perhaps best known for coordinating the Seahawks' defense and "Legion of Boom" secondary from 2013-14 and then serving as Falcons head coach from 2015-20. But before making a name in NFL coaching, he grew up in Morris Township and played football for Morristown High School.

The Morristown alumni graduated in 1989, captaining the team for two years, according to Morristown Green. Quinn played center and linebacker, winning all-conference honors as a senior. He also did shot put on the track team. (For what it's worth, he was also homecoming king, according to Morristown Green.)

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The coach led the Seahawks defense to a Super Bowl title in the 2013 season. During that season, the Seahawks led the NFL in fewest points allowed, fewest yards allowed and total takeaways. They're the first team since the 1985 Bears to accomplish this feat.

Quinn's Falcons had some strong years. The team made the Super Bowl against the Patriots in 2017. But the Patriots came back from a 28-3 deficit for a 34-28 overtime victory.

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But the Falcons got off to an 0-5 start this season before firing Quinn and general manager Thomas Dimitroff. Quinn has his work cut out for him with the Cowboys defense, which surrendered the fifth-highest point total of any team this season.

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