'I learned a lot from Mount Union': Nick Sirianni keeps Eagles focused ahead of Super Bowl 57

PHOENIX — It’s no secret where Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni went to college.

You don’t have to be from Alliance, Ohio to know where he won multiple NCAA Division III championships, three as a player and one on the coaching staff. The 2003 University of Mount Union graduate is not only proud of where he comes from, but the lessons Sirianni learned are instilled and interwoven in him as he prepares his team for the biggest game of his professional career.

“I learned a lot from Mount Union,” said Sirianni at the team hotel on Thursday, the team’s last media availability before postgame of Super Bowl 57, which is Sunday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. “You’ll hear that from Matt Campbell at Iowa State, you’ll hear that from Jason Candle at Toledo, that we’re constantly taking from our mentor, (College Football Hall of Fame coach) Larry Kehres, what we learned.”

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His pride and love for his alma mater is evident.

During the week leading up to this year’s Division III Stagg Bowl Championship game, as the Purple Raiders pursued their 14th national title, Sirianni proudly wore a different Mount Union shirt throughout his press conferences. He now has a chance to be the first Mount Union alum to win the Super Bowl as the head coach (Mount alum Dom Capers was the defensive coordinator on the winning Green Bay Packers’ Super Bowl XLV team).

“Obviously, the week’s a little bit different than a Stagg Bowl,” Sirianni said as he reminisced. “I know the game was big, but as far as the week and what leads up to it might not completely correlate. But what I do know is when the moment perceived to get bigger and the game perceived to get bigger, coach Kehres had us locked in to do our routine. I think you’ve heard me say that over and over again this week. Be in our routine. Don’t let the hoopla or the distractions get to you and just be locked into your routine.”

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There will be one thing out of routine this Sunday and it will be Sirianni’s presentation to the team on Saturday, and it’s something he remembers doing when he was wearing purple.

“Instead of me talking, instead of a captain talking, we are going to open it up to the floor and let everybody talk,” Sirianni said. “We used to actually do that at the Stagg Bowls, the national championship games at Mount Union, and I always thought that was really powerful when all the guys can get up and say whatever was on their heart to say.”

Coach Kehres plans on watching the Super Bowl in the comfort of his home.

During his recent media sessions, when asked about coaching Sirianni and how proud of him he was, Kehres said how the game might not be over on the television at his house when the clock hits zero since he goes back to rewatch certain plays. Just as he taught his mentee, he’ll be locked in.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Nick Sirianni locks into the moment with Eagles for Super Bowl 57