Morristown High Alumnus Dan Quinn Becomes Cowboys Head Coach (For One Game)

DALLAS — A Morristown High School alumnus will take over "America's Team" — for a game. Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn stepped into the interim coach role after head coach Mike McCarthy tested positive for COVID-19.

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Quinn will lead the team for Thursday's match against the Saints. However, the brief stint in charge of the Cowboys won't be Quinn's first rodeo as a head coach. Quinn led the Falcons from 2015-20, finishing with a 43-42 record and a Super Bowl appearance.

The Falcons fired Quinn after the team lost their first five games last season. But he's rejuvenated a Cowboys defense that allowed a franchise record for points last year.

Against the Saints, Quinn will ultimately make final decisions. But offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and special teams coordinator John Fassel will be heavily involved, according to ESPN.

McCarthy told reporters he is fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and so far only has a "scratchy throat," e said.

"We have the network up top so that's something that won't change," McCarthy told media about Quinn's temporary shift in role. "So the biggest change is having Dan down on the field and just make sure he's getting the information he needs to make sound decisions."

Born in Morristown, Quinn grew up in Morris Township and graduated from Morristown High School in 1989. He became part of the football and track and field teams at Salisbury State University — now Salisbury University — in Maryland.

Quinn has coached football since 1994, with his first stint coming as William & Mary's defensive line coach. His first NFL coaching role came in 2001, when he became the 49ers' defensive quality control coach.

But he ultimately made a name for himself as an assistant during his second stint with the Seahawks. Quinn served as defensive coordinator during the emergence of the team's "Legion of Boom" era, when they won the Super Bowl for the 2013 season.

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