Kenneth Carlos Amato (born May 18, 1977) is a former American football long snapper and current defensive assistant coach for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). Prior to his coaching career, he spent nine seasons as a long snapper for the Tennessee Titans. He played college football at Montana State.
High school career
Ken Amato attended Braddock High School in Miami, Florida. He was a Dade County All-Star Team member in football, and also participated in volleyball and in track and field as a high jumper. Amato learned to long snap in his last year playing Pop Warner football, but he did not do it again until college.
Playing career
College career
Amato attended Moorpark Junior College for two years, then transferred to Montana State University. He served as the long snapper all four years. As a sophomore, he won All-Conference honors. As a junior, he played defensive end and linebacker, and posted 48 tackles and 2.5 sacks. As a senior, he had three sacks, one fumble recovery, and 41 tackles.
After his college eligibility expired at the end of the 1998 season Amato spent the next two years finishing his degree while also assisting Montana State's coaching staff with video work, as well as other tasks.
Professional coaching
In 2017, he joined the Dallas Cowboys as a special teams assistant. In February 2018, he was named a defensive assistant on the coaching staff of head coach Jason Garrett.
Personal life
Amato's father, Paul, is Italian-Irish and his mother, Isora Gotay, is from Puerto Rico. Amato married his wife Sandi in July 2004. The couple resides in Brentwood, Tennessee. They have a daughter named Jazlyn (born May 6, 2007).