Vinny Cerrato

Vinny Cerrato (born in Flushing, New York) is the current Executive Vice President of Football Operations for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. During the week of 9/14/08, he started hosting a talk show on ESPN980 in Washington DC called "Inside the Red Zone". The show is on in the DC area on Mondays and Fridays from 10:00am-12:00am.

Career

Playing career

Cerrato played college football at Iowa State University, where he played quarterback and wide receiver

Minnesota

Cerrato started his career as a graduate assistant for the Minnesota Golden Gophers from 1983 to 1984, and he was promoted to recruiting coordinator in 1985, before leaving for Notre Dame.

Notre Dame

Before the NFL, Cerrato served as the football recruiting coordinator under Lou Holtz at the University of Notre Dame. During that time, the Irish played in four Bowl games and won the 1988 NCAA National Championship.

an Francisco 49ers

Cerrato was with the San Francisco 49ers for nine seasons. He joined San Francisco in 1991 as the Director of College Scouting, helping to draft players including Ted Washington, Ricky Watters, Dana Stubblefield and Bryant Young. In 1994, he was part of the Super Bowl XXIX Championship team. In 1995, Cerrato was promoted to Director of Player Personnel, overseeing all college scouting and draft activities as well as pro scouting of NFL players and opponents.

First stint with Redskins

Cerrato was hired by the Redskins in 1999. During this time, he acquired older big name stars like Bruce Smith, Deion Sanders, Irving Fryar, and Mark Carrier. He was then fired by Marty Schottenheimer in 2001. During his brief hiatus from the Redskins, Cerrato worked for ESPN as a college analyst.

econd stint with Redskins

Cerrato was subsequently rehired by Daniel Snyder in 2002 as the Director of Player Personnel and was named Vice President of Football Operations in 2008.

Personal

Cerrato has a wife and a son.

References

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