Scott Pioli life and biography

Scott Pioli born March 31, 1965 in Washingtonville, New York is a professional American football executive, currently serving as the general manager for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). Pioli was previously a front office executive for the Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, and New England Patriots. Pioli served as Director, and later Vice President of Player Personnel for the Patriots from 2001 to 2008 helping the Patriots franchise win three Super Bowl championships, and the NFL's only 16-0 regular season to date.

Scott Pioli was named the fifth General Manager in Kansas City Chiefs history by Chairman Clark Hunt on January 13, 2009. Regarded as one of the league’s brightest player personnel evaluators, Pioli has justifiably earned a reputation as one of the NFL’s top executives. He enters his second season with the Chiefs in 2010.

He joined Kansas City after serving as the Vice President of Player Personnel with the Patriots. During his nine-year tenure in New England (2000-08), the Patriots compiled an NFL-best 102-42 (.708) regular season record, won Super Bowls XXXVI, XXXVIII and XXXIX, claimed the Lamar Hunt Trophy four times as the AFC Champion and won six AFC East titles.

A four-time winner of NFL Executive of the Year honors from national media outlets, Pioli has final authority over all football operations in Kansas City and reports directly to Hunt.

During his nine-year run with New England, the Patriots became widely recognized as one of the NFL’s model franchises. Working in close concert with Head Coach Bill Belichick, the duo rapidly developed the Patriots into a consistent championship contender. Partnering with Head Coach Todd Haley in Kansas City, Pioli has embraced the challenge of developing and implementing a comprehensive plan to return the Chiefs to national prominence.

“My job is not to collect talent, it’s to build a team,” Pioli stated upon his arrival in Kansas City. “Individuals make Pro Bowls, teams win championships. That’s our goal here. Win championships, win football games — to build this team with the right kind of people, with the right kind of players, to consistently compete for championships.”

Pioli and Belichick’s collaborative efforts over nine seasons in New England resulted in 14 playoff victories, tying the Pittsburgh and Dallas squads of the ’70s for the most playoff wins by a franchise in a single decade. New England accumulated 11 playoff victories from 2003-07, the highest total by any team over a five-year span in NFL history.

Pioli and Belichick became the first personnel director/head coach tandem in league annals to win three Super Bowls during a four-year span (2001-04). They also helped the Patriots register nine or more victories in eight consecutive seasons, including the NFL’s first 16-0 regular season in 2007.

The depth and versatility of New England’s roster compiled by Pioli were key components to the Patriots success in recent seasons. In 2003, the Patriots won Super Bowl XXXVIII despite using 42 different starters, a league record for a Super Bowl champion. In 2004, the Patriots employed 40 different starters as they won their second consecutive Super Bowl. In 2005, the Patriots set a post-merger league record for a division champion by utilizing 45 different starters. In 2006, New England won its fourth straight AFC East title while using 39 different starters.

Under Pioli’s direction, the Patriots used an effective combination of draft picks, free agent signings, trades and waiver claims to continually upgrade their roster. He has utilized a similar methodology to improve the Chiefs talent since his arrival in Kansas City.

Pioli’s list of draft successes in New England was headlined by five-time Pro Bowl QB Tom Brady (D6b-00), who has twice earned Super Bowl MVP honors and was named the NFL’s MVP in 2007.

He enters his 19th NFL campaign in 2010. Prior to his seven-year stint as New England’s Vice President of Player Personnel (2002-08), he held the titles of Director of Player Personnel (2001) and Assistant Director of Player Personnel (2000) for the Patriots.

Pioli began his NFL career when Belichick hired him as a Scouting Assistant for the Browns in ’92. He then served as Pro Personnel Assistant from ’93-95, where he was responsible for the evaluation of both college prospects and veteran free agents, as well as negotiating various player contracts. He was promoted to Pro Personnel Coordinator after the franchise moved to Baltimore in ’96.

In ’97, he was hired by the N.Y. Jets as Director of Pro Personnel. He was credited with the signing of a number of veteran free agents who played critical roles in the Jets rebuilding process. In just two seasons working with Head Coach Bill Parcells, the Jets completed a worst-to-first turnaround, rebounding from 1-15 in ’96 to 12-4 in ’98. Those 12 wins in ’98 were the most in franchise history and gave the Jets their first division title since ’68.

Pioli played defensive tackle at Central Connecticut State (’83-87), where he was a three-time Division II All-New England selection. In ’88, after graduating with a degree in Communications, he served as a graduate assistant at Syracuse University, where he also earned a master’s degree from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.

He accepted a full-time coaching opportunity at Murray State, where he spent one season as the offensive line coach (’90) and one season as the defensive line coach (’91). He left the coaching ranks to join the Browns personnel department in ’92.

He serves on the NFL’s General Managers Advisory Committee that provides advice and counsel to the NFL Football Operations department on the integrity of the game, and gives feedback on possible areas for improvement. Pioli is also a member of the NFL’s CEC Executive Working Group, a subcommittee of the Management Council Executive Committee.

Pioli sits on the board of directors for the College for Every Student Foundation, a national non-profit organization that partners with public schools in high-need communities to raise student aspirations and performance. He remains involved in fundraising for several organizations in his hometown of Washingtonville, New York and at his alma mater of Central Connecticut State, where he was enshrined in that school’s Hall of Fame in 2005.

He established the Rose Pioli Scholarship in the name of his grandmother to benefit children of educators, professional firefighters, police and other emergency medical service providers in his hometown. He also created a scholarship at Central Connecticut State University for graduates of the College For Every Student program.

Pioli was born on March 31, 1965. He and his wife, Dallas, have a daughter, Mia Costa Pioli. Along with other members of the Chiefs, the Pioli family participated in Operation Blessing, an effort that annually provides food to over 3,000 local families. The Piolis have also assisted Harvesters in their mission to alleviate hunger in Kansas City.

The Piolis have embraced the thriving local arts scene and are enthusiastic supporters of the Kansas City Repertory Theatre. They are also benefactors of the Charlotte Street Foundation, an organization that supports and recognizes outstanding artists and their contributions to Greater Kansas City.

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