
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, February 16, 1991                   TAG: 9102160059
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Doug Doughty
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

ELMASSIAN LEAVES UVA

Phil Elmassian, an assistant football coach at Virginia for the past four seasons, has resigned to take a position under new Syracuse head coach Paul Pasqualoni.

Elmassian, who coached the linebackers at UVa, will be responsible for the secondary at Syracuse.

"The programs, in the last four years, have been similar football-wise," Elmassian said. "I look at this as a challenge, not that there aren't plenty here [at Virginia]."

Elmassian went to UVa from Virginia Tech, where he coached the secondary. Before that, he coached at William and Mary, Richmond, Ferrum College, East Carolina and Minnesota.

Elmassian said his decision was not based on a desire to coach the secondary.

"I believe that opportunity would have been presented at Virginia," he said.

Frank Spaziani, who has coached the secondary at UVa, resigned this week after being replaced as defensive coordinator by Rick Lantz.

"I told coach [George] Welsh before this came up that I looked forward to the opportunity to work with coach Lantz," Elmassian said. "Sometimes, you can't say exactly why you make a move. You sit back and reevaluate the situation from a professional standpoint, and it's been an outstanding four years."

by CNB