Marist College hires Mike Willis as football head coach

Mike Willis was hired as the new head coach of the Marist College football team following a three-week search for Jim Parady’s successor, the college announced Tuesday.

The New Jersey native joins Marist after nine seasons as an assistant coach at Princeton University, his alma mater. The former offensive lineman served there most recently as the offensive coordinator, helping lead a high-scoring unit.

Mike Willis was hired as head coach of the Marist College football team on Dec. 19, 2023.

“I’m honored to be the next head football coach at Marist College,” Willis said in a statement, thanking Marist administrators for their belief in him. “I’m excited to build an elite staff, recruit the best student-athletes in the country, and develop our players to reach their full potential. I can’t wait to get to work!”

Parady retired on Nov. 29, ending a 32-year run that was the longest current head coaching tenure in Division I football. Marist athletic director Tim Murray announced then it would conduct a wide-spanning search for the fifth coach in this program’s history. Longtime defensive coordinator Scott Rumsey served as head coach during the brief interim.

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Willis received a bevy of congratulatory messages on social media Tuesday and was praised by Princeton head coach Bob Surace, who said he was “thrilled” by his former protégé taking a significant step in his career. There also was a wave of fans who applauded the school’s decision. WFAN sports radio host Brandon Tierney, a former Marist athlete, tweeted, “Absolutely fantastic hire!”

Willis graduated from Princeton in 2014 and joined its coaching staff the following year, first as a defensive…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/marist-college-hires-mike-willis-011606170.html

Author : Poughkeepsie Journal

Publish date : 2023-12-20 01:16:06

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