Meet Dan LaMagna…

Article published 05/20/2007, The Times-Tribune

Age: 30

Job: President and head coach/offensive coordinator of the NEPA Miners

Family: Wife, Michele

Residence: Scranton

Education: Bachelor’s degree in communications from East Stroudsburg University; working toward master’s degree in sports management

Do you have any background in football?
I was a player and I always have had a passion for football. I played some semi-pro football and had tryouts with some Arena and Canadian football league teams. I always thought big and had dreams of playing in the pros, but injuries sent me in a different direction. I started coaching some semi-pro teams and I was a coach for the Lackawanna College team that won the Valley of the Sun Bowl last year.

What made you want to go from coaching to running a franchise?
By playing on some semi-pro teams, I had seen the good and the bad of how things were run. I had some ideas of how I would run a team and finally I just wanted to put those ideas into action. In addition to that, I saw how minor-league teams in this area have been successful with hockey and baseball, but football hasn’t done as well. I wanted to change that.

What is the benefit of having a football team in the area?
I think it benefits everyone. We are giving opportunities to the players to further their careers and it is great for the community because we are offering an affordable night of family entertainment. We are also going to have year-round community service to give back to the people. We have partnered with some local businesses and gotten some great support so far. Now we just have to play the games.

Why doesn’t the team have a town in its name?
We are the NEPA Miners for a reason. We dont just represent Scranton or Wilkes-Barre or Hazleton, but the whole region. We are going to play half of our games at Scranton Memorial Stadium and the other half at Lake Lehman High School. The season starts June 30 and we play Saturdays, with the playoffs beginning in October.

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 20, 2007 and is filed under Miners in the News / Press. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.