Rams’ Zampese Hired to Lead Cowboy Offense
Saying he was “our guy from the word go,” Dallas Cowboy owner Jerry Jones on Thursday hired offensive coordinator Ernie Zampese of the Rams.
Zampese, 57, agreed to a three-year contract. He replaces Norv Turner, who was named coach of the Washington Redskins on Wednesday. Turner was an assistant under Zampese in Anaheim before taking over the Cowboys’ offense in 1991.
It had been speculated Zampese wouldn’t leave California, but he said the opportunity to coach Dallas’ high-powered offense was a sufficient lure.
“I think first of all, it’s the possibility of going to a Super Bowl,” Zampese said. “I think that’s what we all aspire to do in this profession.”
Zampese had one year remaining on his contract with the Rams, and the team could have stopped him from talking with the Cowboys.
“The Ram organization has been just super to me, and it showed a lot of class in the manner in which they handled this situation.”
He added that talk of the Rams possibly moving from Anaheim Stadium--Baltimore and St. Louis are among the cities courting the team--also affected his decision.
“The uncertainty of that was a consideration, but not the major consideration,” he said. “The football team that I am joining was the major consideration.”
Zampese has been the Rams’ offensive coordinator for seven seasons. Last year, he coached the league’s fifth-best running offense, which featured 1993 rookie of the year Jerome Bettis. who finished second to Dallas’ Emmitt Smith in the NFL rushing title.
Zampese discouraged suggestions that there are differences between him and Ram Coach Chuck Knox.
“There has been so much talk about Chuck and myself (not working well together), but he never, ever interfered with the offense. He allowed me to do anything I wanted to do, and like any head coach, when you’re losing, he wanted to know what we could do to improve our chances of scoring. Chuck has been just super in every way.”
Before joining the Ram staff in 1987, Zampese was in charge of the “Air Coryell” offense of the San Diego Chargers under Don Coryell. He was the Chargers’ offensive coordinator from 1983 to 1986, and receivers coach from 1979 to 1982.
He was the Chargers’ defensive backs coach in 1976 but left to scout for the New York Jets from 1977 to 1978.
Times staff writer T.J. Simers contributed to this story.