Boomer Esiason Helps Renovate Former LI Coach's Home On TV Show

EAST ISLIP, NY—Boomer Esiason doesn't just fondly remember his East Islip high school football coach Sal Ciampi—he credits him with shaping his life into the success it ended up becoming. On a recent episode of CBS' "Secret Celebrity Renovation" the football player said "it was because of [Ciampi] that I got to where I was."

The retired NFL quarterback and CBS Sports analyst grew up in East Islip, less than a mile from where the now-retired Ciampi is still living in the same house he bought in 1972.

Esiason's mother died when he was only seven years old and says Sal Ciampi and his wife Donna became second parents to him growing up. Donna has never missed attending an East Islip football game, Esiason marveled.

"High school coaches are makers of men," he said on the show, which aired last week.

Esiasion and a design team helped upgrade the Ciampi's home, updating the decor of a den and basement to make a cozy space for their couple's 11 grandchildren to visit.

Sal Ciampi's son is now the head football coach at East Islip, where the high school stadium is named in honor of Esiason who graduated in 1979 before embarking on his college and professional careers.

The paneling that dated to 1970 was replaced with a more modern look, complete with memorabilia from Ciampi's long coaching career.

"To see their reaction, it was so fulfilling," Esiason said.