Allen Park – Detroit Lions coach Matt Patricia could have been a rocket scientist. Much has been made of his undergraduate degree in aeronautical engineering, and the career he left behind two decades ago to pursue his true passion, coaching football.
But as much as that narrative has shaped public perception of Patricia, it’s his second degree, earned from the University of Massachusetts during his early years working as a defensive position coach at Amherst, that has had an equally, if not greater impact on how he’s reached the upper echelon of his profession.