PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - When watching Sunday's NFC championship game, Colorado State University Pueblo will be represented in the contest as former Pack quarterback Joe Pannunzio is serving as the assistant special teams coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League as they face the San Francisco 49ers for a trip to Super Bowl LVII.
 
Pannunzio, who played at then University of Southern Colorado for four seasons (1978-1981) for coach Mike Friedman, joined the Eagles in 2019 where he spent the first two seasons as the director of team development. He originally served as Philadelphia's director of personnel operations from 2015-2016.
 
Between stints in Philadelphia, Pannunzio was the running backs coach (2018) and special teams coordinator/tight ends coach (2017) at Alabama under Nick Saban. He also worked as the Crimson Tide's director of personnel operations during the 2011-2014 seasons.
 
A 1978 Pueblo County graduate where he quarterbacked the Hornets for three seasons along with playing basketball and baseball, Pannunzio was the Pack's starting signal-call his final two seasons when he passed for 2,434 yards and 22 touchdowns. For his career, Pannunzio completed 178 of 387 passes for 2,703 yards and the 22 TD passes.
 
Pannunzio, who coached the wide receivers at CSU Pueblo in 1982 where recently-retired Pack football John Wristen became the school's starting quarterback in 1982, was the head coach at Murray State University (2000-2005) where he compiled a 30–37 and won the 2002 Ohio Valley title to advance to the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs.
 
After starting his coaching career at CSU Pueblo, Pannunzio coached at Colorado Mesa (1982–1984 and 1987-1990). Kansas State (1985–1986), TCU (1990–1991), Minnesota (1992–1994), Ole Miss (1995–1998), Auburn (1999) and University of Miami (Fla.).
 
A 2009 inductee into the Greater Pueblo Sports Hall of Fame, Pannunzio's combined high school and college football statistics were 6,523 total yards, 2,981 yards of total offense, 5,659 total passing yards, 44 passing touchdowns and 35 rushing touchdowns.