Best Wishes to Chuck Pagano on Quick Recovery
INDIANAPOLIS – Former Miami Hurricanes’ assistantcoach and current Indianapolis Colts’ head coach Chuck Pagano has beendiagnosed with Acute promyelocyic leukemia (APML) and will be out of duty for aperiod of time. Pagano, who turns 52 on Tuesday, was diagnosed with the illness lastweek when the club observed its bye week.
“It’s been a very difficult week,” said Colts Owner and CEO Jim Irsay. “The coach was feeling some fatigue over the past few weeks. (He) hadnoticed some bruising on his body that – atfirst – he thought could have been fromcontact on the field coaching, or playing with his grandkids. Eventuallythrough talking to his wife, Tina, she said, ‘You need to check that outbecause the bruising appears to be more prominent.’
“We did have the coach go in and get fullyevaluated on the bruising and his fatigue. The conclusion came down thathe did have leukemia. Obviously, it’s a very difficult blow for him, forhis family.”
Pagano’s physician, Dr. Larry Cripe, indicated his condition is a relativelyfavorable form of acute leukemia in terms of a likelihood of remission and ofhim achieving a cure. There are specific treatments for the disease, andthose procedures started on Pagano last Wednesday night.
“Chuck is very dear to this organization as a head coach,” Irsay said. “Thespecial thing about Chuck is he’s a ‘salt of the earth’ man. You aspireto be the type of man he is. He’s going to be greatly missed in terms ofhis intensity, his energy, his leadership.”
Pagano, who served as a graduate assistant at Miami during the 1986 season, returned to the Hurricanes’ football program for a five-year run as the seconday coach and special teams coordinator. Inhis second coaching term with the Hurricanes (1995-2000), Pagano coached four NFL first-rounddraftees: Duane Starks (1998), Phillip Buchanon (2002), Ed Reed (2002) and MikeRumph (2002).
He was reunited with his former pupil Reed during his stint as secondary coachof the Baltimore Ravens from 2008-2010. In the team’s first season with Paganoas an assistant coach, Baltimore led the NFL with 26 interceptions, includingReed’s league-best nine picks. Pagano also served as a graduate assistant atMiami for the 1986 season.
