Coach Ernie Pantusso
Ernie Pantusso (or Pantuso), commonly known as "Coach", is a fictional character on the American television show Cheers, portrayed by Nicholas Colasanto between 1982 and 1985. Coach is Sam Malone's former baseball coach, who becomes a bartender at Cheers under Sam's ownership. He is not "worldly wise" but has some shred of wit. He had a daughter, Lisa, who appeared in the episode "Coach's Daughter", by his late wife, Angela.
| Ernie "Coach" Pantusso | |
|---|---|
Coach ruins the blender by mixing a recipe with the coconut cup in "Cliff's Rocky Moment" (episode 38, 1984) | |
| First appearance | Give Me a Ring Sometime (episode 1.01) |
| Last appearance | Rescue Me (episode 3.25) |
| Portrayed by | Nicholas Colasanto |
| In-universe information | |
| Occupation | Baseball coach (retired) Assistant bartender (1982–1985) (until death) |
| Family | Two unnamed brothers Unnamed sister |
| Spouse | Angela (deceased) |
| Children | Lisa Pantusso (daughter) |
| Relatives | Joyce Pantusso (niece) Phyllis Pantusso (sister-in-law) |
While he last appeared in the cold opening of "Rescue Me", Colasanto's last filmed appearance as Coach was in the episode "Cheerio, Cheers". When Colasanto died in 1985, his character was written out as deceased without cause of death stated. Woody Harrelson joined the cast as Woody Boyd, a pen pal of Coach's who would end up replacing him as a bartender at Cheers in the show's fourth season.