MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Jeff Hafley was a football coach before he was a football coach.
The new coach of the Miami Dolphins played his college football at Siena, with home games before small crowds at what was a decaying minor-league baseball field in a suburb of Albany, New York. Hafley dealt with multiple injuries in those years but was eager to stay involved, so he helped coaches break down film and even was in the booth with them on many game days.
Little did he know he'd found his calling.
Those Siena teams weren't very good. The program folded in 2003 for financial reasons. Even the field that the team called home has long since been demolished.
But the lessons that Hafley learned there — and other small schools at the start of his professional journey — still resonated within him on Thursday, when he was introduced as the new coach of the Dolphins.
“I learned what it’s like to hold people to an extreme level of accountability," Hafley said of those early days. "I learned what toughness is about and I learned how to grind.”
He'll have to grind again in Miami. The Dolphins are coming off a second consecutive losing season, going 7-10 this past season in the finale under former coach Mike McDaniel, have serious questions about who their quarterback will be in 2026 and haven't won a playoff game since Hafley was still a student at Siena more than a quarter century ago.
“After interviewing, talking to people who were all really great candidates, I think the enthusiasm, the knowledge, the background, Jeff stood out amongst them all," Dolphins owner Stephen Ross said. "So, we were really fortunate that he was available.”
Hafley was a lightly recruited quarterback from New Jersey who committed to Siena, converted to wide receiver and caught one pass in his senior year. The numbers meant nothing. The experiences meant everything.
His first college coach was Ed Zaloom, someone who continues to mentor Hafley today. Zaloom left Siena and went to Division III's Worcester Polytechnic Institute, eventually giving Hafley a $2,500-a-year job there. Hafley lined the field. He did the laundry. He cleaned the helmets. He loved every second of it.
“What I learned was there’s no job too small," Hafley said. "And that’s what you’re going to get from me every single day, because I learned how to work hard — like, really hard — and there’s no replacement for that. And there won’t be here.”
Zaloom then got Hafley a job at the University at Albany, under another upstate New York coaching legend in Bob Ford. Albany was a well-respected program, and Ford is still revered in that area for not just the wins but how he treated people.
As he did with Zaloom, Hafley listened to every word Ford offered.
“It laid down my foundation," Hafley said of those years. "It taught me how to work hard, it taught me how to treat people, and it taught me how coach the game of football, the fundamentals, the technique. And it taught me there was no shortcuts. I wasn’t a guy who all of a sudden started coaching and I was sitting here in the NFL. I had to work, and I had really good role models to look to to do that. I would do it no other way.”
After about four years at Albany, Hafley took another job that paid barely anything at Pitt. For two years, Hafley slept on an air mattress under his desk. Turns out, it's easy to be the first guy into the office for work every day when you're actually living in the office.
Pitt would promote Hafley and he was on his way. He had college stints since at Rutgers and Ohio State, then a four-year run as head coach at Boston College. He was an assistant in the NFL with Tampa Bay, Cleveland and San Francisco, and comes to the Dolphins after a two-year run as Green Bay’s defensive coordinator.
The days of scratching out a living have long been over. But Hafley insists he's still the same guy who lined fields and slept under his desk.
“What would I say to that guy now?" Hafley mused Thursday. "I'd say it worked."
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Miami Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley, left, hugs his daughter Hope after a news conference at the teams NFL football training facility, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Miami Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley, left, kisses his wife Gina, center, after a news conference at the teams NFL football training facility, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Miami Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley, right, walks off the field with his daughters Leah, left, Hope, second from left, and wife Gina, second from right, after a news conference at the teams NFL football training facility, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
ROME (AP) — Jannik Sinner is two victories away from becoming the first home man to win the Italian Open in half a century. And it doesn’t seem like anybody can stop him — either in Rome or at the French Open that starts in 10 days.
The top-ranked Sinner landed shots on the lines repeatedly in a 6-2, 6-4 triumph over No. 14 Andrey Rublev to reach the semifinals Thursday and move past Novak Djokovic with a record 32nd consecutive victory in Masters 1000 events — the biggest tournaments outside the Grand Slams.
“I don’t play for records. I play just for my own story. And obviously at the same time it means a lot to me,” Sinner said.
The last Italian man to raise the singles trophy on the red clay of the Foro Italico was Adriano Panatta in 1976. Panatta will present the title to this year’s champion on Sunday, with Italy President Sergio Mattarella also slated to attend the final.
“It’s a special tournament for me,” Sinner said.
With nearly everyone inside the 10,500-seat Campo Centrale cheering for Sinner, many supporters wore hats and T-shirts in orange — his theme color.
One group of fans held up a sign that said, “Sinner, Facce Sogna” — “Sinner, Make us dream.”
He lost last year’s final in Rome to Carlos Alcaraz, who is now sidelined due to a right wrist injury, while Jasmine Paolini in 2025 became the first Italian woman to raise the trophy in 40 years.
Sinner broke serve in the opening game for a third straight match and never lost control against Rublev, who was once ranked as high as No. 5.
Rublev noticed there were “many points where he played really well or close to the line or in a line. But he’s No. 1 and it’s normal. You need to force him to miss and it takes a lot of focus to be able to play at that level.”
Sinner had only one brief lapse when Rublev broke him late in the second set.
“It was a bit breezy, a bit windy, so it was very tough conditions,” Sinner said. “I felt we both didn’t play at our best today.”
Sinner said he felt fatigued toward the end.
“I’m going to be all right. It’s normal that one day in the tournament you are slightly tired,” he said. “It has been very long days for me.”
Sinner hasn’t been beaten in a Masters event since he retired with cramps in extreme heat against Tallon Griekspoor in Shanghai in October.
Djokovic won 31 straight Masters matches in 2011.
Including all tournaments, Sinner’s winning streak reached 27 matches. He was last beaten by Jakub Mensik in the Qatar Open quarterfinals on Feb. 19 — and he hasn't even dropped a set since his opening match of his previous tournament, the Madrid Open.
Sinner is also aiming to become the second man after Djokovic to triumph at all nine Masters events. Djokovic has won each event at least twice.
The Italian Open is the only Masters event that Sinner hasn’t won.
His semifinal opponent will be 2023 Rome champion Daniil Medvedev or Spanish qualifier Martina Landaluce, who were playing later.
The other semifinal will feature Casper Ruud of Norway against Luciano Darderi, an Argentine-born Italian.
In the women’s tournament, Coco Gauff beat 36-year-old Sorana Cirstea 6-4, 6-3 to reach the final for a second straight year.
Gauff saved a match point in a three-set victory over Iva Jovic in the fourth round and then came back from a set down to defeat Mirra Andreeva in the quarterfinals.
Against Cirstea, Gauff got 78% of her first serves in and had only one double fault.
“I'm just happy to be through in straight sets today," Gauff said. "It's been a marathon week.”
Gauff was beaten by Paolini in the 2025 Rome final, then went on to win the French Open.
In Saturday's final, Gauff will face three-time Rome champion Iga Swiatek or two-time winner Elina Svitolina, who were playing later.
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Romania's Sorana Cirstea returns to United States' Coco Gauff, during their match at the Italian Open tennis tournament in Rome, Thursday, May 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
United States' Coco Gauff prepares to return the ball to Romania's Sorana Cirstea during their match at the Italian Open tennis tournament in Rome, Thursday, May 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Italy's Jannik Sinner serves a ball to Andrey Rublev, during their match at the Italian Open tennis tournament in Rome, Thursday, May 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Andrey Rublev reacts as he plays Italy's Jannik Sinner during their match at the Italian Open tennis tournament in Rome, Thursday, May 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Italy's Jannik Sinner reacts after beating Andrey Rublev 6-2, 6-4, during their match at the Italian Open tennis tournament in Rome, Thursday, May 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Italy's Jannik Sinner returns the ball to Andrey Rublev, during their match at the Italian Open tennis tournament in Rome, Thursday, May 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Italy's Jannik Sinner eyes the ball as he plays Andrey Rublev, during their match at the Italian Open tennis tournament in Rome, Thursday, May 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
