Priore brothers share Penn's sideline

From Long Island suburbia to Franklin Field, brothers Chuck and Ray Priore reached Penn through nothing more complex than plain hard work. The rewards of their labor: a long stay as Penn football assistant coaches. Ray has been with the Red and Blue since 1987 and is in charge of recruiting, in addition to currently coaching defensive ends and special teams. Meanwhile, Chuck has been the Penn offensive coordinator since 1992. For the two oldest of three brothers, the life journey to Penn began the same way it has continued up to the present -- rooted in sports. "He was well above average," current Union College offensive coordinator Gary Reynolds -- who coached Chuck at Albany State -- said of Chuck's football skills. "He was literally that physically fit, and pretty large for a not very tall kid. We used to say he could run on his arms as well as his legs." During his freshman season, however, he hurt ligaments in his knee, a blow to his days as halfback. Despite the setback, Chuck shifted to the fullback position within the wishbone formation. "He was very good about the transition from halfback to fullback after the injury, and understood that it was in the best interest of him and the team," Reynolds said. After finishing as one of the leading rushers in Albany State's history, Chuck joined Albany's coaching staff two years later as a graduate assistant. "When Chuck went to work after college, it was his first time away from football since he was a little boy," the elder Ray said. "He really wanted to give the graduate assistantship a try, and was determined to make it work." The younger Ray also found injuries, graduate coaching and a school with Albany in its name as part of his history. He began his college playing days during Chuck's first year on the coaching side, playing defensive back at Albany State and leading the charge on special teams as team tri-captain. During the early part of his senior year, Ray hurt his knee, incurring a partially torn anterior cruciate ligament that made every move on the field a harder one. "By the end of every game, he was practically crawling after every game," said Frank Priore, the youngest of the three brothers. "He went out on the field, and had a brace on his knee that was taped until his toes were purple," said Penn defensive coordinator Mike Toop, who coached Ray at Albany State. "Even with that, he was back-pedaling on the sideline and said, 'I'm playing today.'" Ray then became a graduate assistant for Albany State immediately upon graduation. "I think Ray saw it as an opportunity to get more education [through a master's degree with the position], and then realized, once he did it, that he enjoyed coaching as well," Ray Sr. said. The first year of Ray's graduate assistantship featured an area rivalry matchup between Division III foes Albany State and Union College. By then, Chuck was offensive coordinator at Union, and the brothers found themselves on opposite sidelines. "The competition has always been positive," the elder Ray said. "The outlook has always been, 'Hey, my brother is doing this, and that would be a great thing for me to do too.' It spurred one on to achieve." "Still, that game was kind of tough. There were stands on only one side of the field, with people we knew sitting on one side, rooting for Albany State. We [he and wife Camille] tried to be bipartisan." That would be the only head-to-head meeting as Ray moved on to be an assistant on Penn football's freshman squad. Four years later in 1991, the entire Penn coaching staff was dismissed after a 2-8 season. The adage "being at the right place at the right time" came to light at that moment. Current Penn coach Al Bagnoli came over from his head post at Union College in 1992 to assume the Penn head coach post, and wanted to bring Chuck along to be the Quakers offensive coordinator. Through this set of circumstances, Ray was brought in to Penn's new staff to coach the defensive ends. "If it wasn't for Chuck, I probably wouldn't be kept on the staff," Ray said. "I was just thankful for the chance to work with my brother and coaches who were so successful at Union." For Chuck, the chance to move up to the Division I-AA level, work alongside his brother and coach in an academic setting was a blessing. "In most regards, I am lucky," Chuck said. "Not many people get the opportunity to be associated in their careers with three successful programs [Albany, Union, and Penn]. Since that fateful year, Priore & Priore have played their role on two undefeated Penn Ivy League championship seasons. "Ray is a really intense coach, and really seems like he wishes he could be out there playing," Penn defensive end Brian Person said. "I think he's almost too hard on himself sometimes when things do not go well. While Ray is viewed by players, coaches, and family as a blend of intensity and easygoing nature, football is always on Chuck's mind. "His intensity is a lot more vocal than others. But, that's his personality, and the players respect it because it is genuine," Penn quarterbacks coach Larry Woods said. That intense attitude will continue for as long as Priore & Priore remains in business at Franklin Field.