WASHINGTON COMMANDERS HEAD COACH AND FORMER SALISBURY UNIVERSITY ALUMNI DAN QUINN TO GIVE COMMENCEMENT SPEECH ON MAY 22, 2025
Salisbury, MD - Salisbury University is excited to celebrate its 100th graduating class this spring. The Commencement speaker will be Dan Quinn '94, the Head Coach of the Washington Commanders and a Salisbury University alumnus.
Quinn has a remarkable narrative that ties his past to the present. At the beginning of 2025, he guided the Commanders to their first National Football Conference Championship game since 1991, the year he was a junior at SU.
On May 22, Quinn will share words of encouragement with the Class of 2025 during the undergraduate ceremony at Sea Gull Stadium.
This event serves as a prelude to the SU Centennial celebration, which will start in September. It marks a return of the Spring Commencement to campus for the first time since the 1970s, and Quinn will be the first non-student Commencement speaker since 2001.
During his time at SU, Quinn excelled in both track and field and football. He was inducted into the SU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005 and has remained a dedicated supporter of the university alongside his wife, Stacey, who was an athletic trainer at SU. Their commitment to SU sports is evident in their establishment of three endowments that benefit football, track and field, and athletic training.
Quinn's athletic achievements are impressive; as a defensive lineman, he recorded 145 tackles while participating in all 28 games during his last three years at SU. Additionally, he set a school record in the hammer throw with a distance of 168'8", a record he held for nearly 20 years after graduating.
After college, Quinn took on various assistant coaching roles with different NFL teams and achieved a significant milestone as the defensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks during their Super Bowl victory in 2014. Following a successful tenure with the Atlanta Falcons, he most recently led the Dallas Cowboys' defense, known as one of the best in the NFL, before taking on the role of head coach at Northwest Stadium.
In recognition of his contributions off the field, Quinn was honored with the Associated Press NFL Assistant Coach of the Year award in 2021.
As excitement builds for this year's Commencement ceremony, attendees should note that admission is strictly by ticket only.
Quinn has a remarkable narrative that ties his past to the present. At the beginning of 2025, he guided the Commanders to their first National Football Conference Championship game since 1991, the year he was a junior at SU.
On May 22, Quinn will share words of encouragement with the Class of 2025 during the undergraduate ceremony at Sea Gull Stadium.
This event serves as a prelude to the SU Centennial celebration, which will start in September. It marks a return of the Spring Commencement to campus for the first time since the 1970s, and Quinn will be the first non-student Commencement speaker since 2001.
During his time at SU, Quinn excelled in both track and field and football. He was inducted into the SU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005 and has remained a dedicated supporter of the university alongside his wife, Stacey, who was an athletic trainer at SU. Their commitment to SU sports is evident in their establishment of three endowments that benefit football, track and field, and athletic training.
Quinn's athletic achievements are impressive; as a defensive lineman, he recorded 145 tackles while participating in all 28 games during his last three years at SU. Additionally, he set a school record in the hammer throw with a distance of 168'8", a record he held for nearly 20 years after graduating.
After college, Quinn took on various assistant coaching roles with different NFL teams and achieved a significant milestone as the defensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks during their Super Bowl victory in 2014. Following a successful tenure with the Atlanta Falcons, he most recently led the Dallas Cowboys' defense, known as one of the best in the NFL, before taking on the role of head coach at Northwest Stadium.
In recognition of his contributions off the field, Quinn was honored with the Associated Press NFL Assistant Coach of the Year award in 2021.
As excitement builds for this year's Commencement ceremony, attendees should note that admission is strictly by ticket only.
