Oakland Invaders Cerrato signed a contract with the
USFL Oakland Invaders in January 1983, however, was cut in training camp a month later.
University of 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.
San Francisco 49ers Cerrato joined the
San Francisco 49ers in 1991 as a scout, and later became the team's director of college scouting in June 1992, helping to draft players such as
Ted Washington,
Ricky Watters,
Dana Stubblefield and
Bryant Young. In
1994, the 49ers won
Super Bowl XXIX. It was also this during time that Cerrato appeared as an actor in the 1994 film
Kindergarten Ninja. In February 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.
Washington Redskins In July 1999, Cerrato was hired as the director of player personnel for the
Washington Redskins. During this time, he acquired older big name stars like
Bruce Smith,
Deion Sanders,
Irving Fryar,
Jeff George, and
Mark Carrier. He was then fired by
Marty Schottenheimer in
2001, working as a college football analyst for
ESPN. Cerrato was subsequently rehired in
2002 as their vice president of football operations following the firing of Schottenheimer. He resigned from the team on December 17, 2009. ==References==