After six years and three championships as a coach at the high school level, former NFL player Patrick Surtain has been scooped up by an NFL team.
Surtain will be returning to the Miami Dolphins, the team in which he had the most success as a player over his 11-year career. As a cornerback for the Dolphins from 1998-2004, he made three Pro Bowls and two All-Pro teams.
He will be joining the Dolphins as a defensive assistant, according to NBC Sports.
Surtain showed his chops as a coach after getting hired by American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.) in 2016. Over six seasons at the helm, he led the team to a 65-10 record and won championships in 2016, 2017 and 2020, according to MaxPreps.
Six players who had previously played for American Heritage were selected in the 2021 Draft, according to MaxPreps. One of these players is Surtain’s son, Patrick Surtain Jr., who was picked in the first round by the Denver Broncos and recorded four interceptions and 14 passes defended.
The Dolphins have now added both Surtain and his former teammate, Sam Madison, who made four Pro Bowls and two All-Pro teams as he manned the secondary with Surtain in the late-1990s and early-2000s. Former Dolphin Wes Welker has also joined the coaching staff.
Miami, which had back-to-back seasons with records above .500 for the first time since Surtain and Madison were the cornerbacks, is looking to continue its upward trajectory under new head coach Mike McDaniel.