Tony Sparano named Raiders interim head coach

With Dennis Allen fired, the Raiders have made the expected move and named Tony Sparano the team's interim head coach for the remainder of the season, the team announced today. It was first reported by ESPN's Jim Trotter. This move will be announced at 2:00pm Pacific Time via press conference in Alameda.

Sparano was the team's offensive line coach and assistant head coach. That along with his previous head coaching experience made him the obvious choice to take over the head coaching position.

He is well respected among the players on the team and around the NFL. His NFL resume includes stop in Dallas as an offensive line coach and running game coordinator. He was named assistant head coach for one season before being hired to coach the Miami Dolphins in 2008. He brought the 1-15 Dolphins back to an 11-5 record in his first season and went 29-32 overall as head coach. He then spent a single season as Jets offensive coordinator before coming to the Raiders.

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