< Previous2019 FOOTBALL VILLANO VA. C OM 8 GENERAL INFORMATION RETIRED JERSEYS At halftime of the University of Delaware game in 1994, Villanova University began a “Wall of Fame” by retiring the jerseys of five former Wildcat Football greats in a special ceremony to honor their outstanding careers. The retired jerseys are permanently recognized on the wall of The Swimming Center next to the scoreboard in the west end of Villanova Stadium in the form of football-shaped plaques, bearing each recipient’s name and number. Below are profiles of each of the individuals who are honored on the Wall of Fame. 1994 INDUCTION CLASS The first group of honorees to the Villanova Wall of Fame was an impressive one, and shows the history and tradition of 100 years of outstanding football student-athletes on the Main Line. LOU FERRY (1945-48 PLAYER; 1960-2003 COACH) • All-East and All-America honoree • Played for seven seasons in the NFL • Villanova head coach from 1970-74 DOMINIC LIOTTA (1949-51) • Played offensive guard; co-captain in 1951 • Earned mention on six different All-America teams • Appeared on the “Ed Sullivan Show” ED MICHAELS (1933-35) • Villanova’s first-ever All-American in 1935 • Played in the NFL and Canadian Football League • Villanova assistant coach from 1951 to 1961 MIKE SIANI (1969-71) • Ranks near top of every Villanova receiving record • Owns record for receiving yards in a single season • NFL player with Oakland Raiders, Baltimore Colts JOHN WYSOCKI (1936-38) • Consensus All-American two straight years • Played 1937 Bacardi Bowl, first Villanova bowl • Had three career touchdowns on blocked kicks 1995 INDUCTION CLASS In 1995 the Wildcats continued a new tradition by inducting three more players onto the Wall of Fame. This year’s induction class included NFL Hall of Fame inductee Howie Long. HOWIE LONG (1977-80) • MVP of Blue-Gray All-Star Classic as a senior • Registered 313 tackles during his Wildcat career • 10-time Pro Bowl selection during NFL career • NFL Hall of Fame JORDAN OLIVAR (1935, 1937 PLAYER; 1943-48 COACH) • Co-captain and co-MVP of undefeated 1937 team • Head coach at Villanova from 1943-48 • Compiled 33-20-1 (.620) record as a head coach JOHN SANDUSKY (1946-49) • Regarded as one of quickest big men in the nation • Garnered All-America honors in 1949 • Player and coach in the NFL WALL OF FAME HONOREES BY YEAR 1994 . . . . . . . Lou Ferry, Dominic Liotta, Ed Michaels, Mike Siani, John Wysocki 1995 ...... Howie Long, Jordan Olivar, John Sandusky 1997 . . . . . . . Al Atkinson, Eugene Filipski, Billy Joe 1998 ..... Paul Berardelli, Curtis Eller 2000 . . . . . . Bryan Russo, Sam Gruneisen 2001 . . . . . . . Bob Brady, Charlie Johnson 2002 . . . . . . John Mellus, Harry Stuhldreher 2003 . . . . . . Brian Finneran, John Babinecz 2005 . . . . . . Brian Westbrook Mike Siani was part of the inaugural induction class to the Wall of Fame in Villanova Stadium.1997 INDUCTION CLASS The third group of honorees on the Wall of Fame were honored during a game against West Chester on August 28, 1997. AL ATKINSON (1962-64) • Led the 1962 squad to the Liberty Bowl • Considered one of the best linemen in school history • Won a Super Bowl with New York Jets in 1969 EUGENE FILIPSKI (1952-53) • Standout running back and consensus All-American • Averaged school-record 5.9 yards per carry • Owns two school rushing records for yards per game BILLY JOE (1960-62) • MVP of the 1961 Sun Bowl as a fullback • Played professionally from 1963-68 • 1963 AFL Rookie of the Year 1998 INDUCTION CLASS Two more Villanova greats were inducted on the Wall of Fame in 1998, and the Wildcats produced a thrilling 34-31 overtime win against rival Delaware. PAUL BERARDELLI (1985-88) • First All-American after football returned in 1985 • Wildcats were 24-10-1 during his career • Played for the World League’s London Monarchs CURTIS ELLER (1989-92) • First Wildcat to be a two-time first team All-American • Yankee Conference 50th Anniversary All-Time Team • Wildcats were 33-14 during his career 2000 INDUCTION CLASS The two Wall of Fame inductees were a pair of renowned linesmen who rank among the greatest ever at Villanova. SAM GRUNEISEN (1958-61) • Played both tight end and linebacker in college • Helped lead team to win in 1961 Sun Bowl • Had an 11-year NFL career with two different teams BRYAN RUSSO (1986-89) • One of the top offensive linesmen in team history • Second offensive lineman to earn All-America honors • Led Wildcats to combined 27-16-1 record 2001 INDUCTION CLASS A standout offensive lineman for a Bowl team and a top wide receiver made up the 2001 induction class, as the Wildcats honored two more former players on the Wall of Fame. BOB BRADY (1986-89) • Team captain in 1989, led Wildcats to NCAA playoffs • First team All-East and All-Yankee Conference in 1989 • Wildcats were 27-14-1 during Brady’s career CHARLIE JOHNSON (1960-62) • One of the members of the 1961 Sun Bowl champs • First team All-American tackle in 1962 • Captain of 1962 team that reached the Liberty Bowl 2002 INDUCTION CLASS Two of the most decorated individuals in the history of Villanova football were honored on the Wall of Fame in 2002, bringing the number of honorees at the time to 19. JOHN MELLUS (1935-37) • Villanova was 22-4-2 (.821) during his career • Led Wildcats to first Bowl game in 1936 Bacardi Bowl • Team posted 16 shutouts in his 28 career games HARRY STUHLDREHER (1925-35 HEAD COACH) • Member of Notre Dame’s famed“Four Horsemen” • Led his teams to 65-25-9 (.702) record as head coach • Quarterback and punt return specialist as a player Billy Joe, who was MVP of the 1961 Sun Bowl, had his jersey retired in 1997. 2019 FOOTBALL 9 VILLANO VA .CO M GENERAL INFORMATION RETIRED JERSEYS2003 INDUCTION CLASS On October 25, 2003, Villanova retired the jerseys of former Wildcat greats Brian Finneran (No. 25) and John Babinecz (No. 64) during a halftime ceremony of Villanova’s homecoming game with the University of Massachusetts. JOHN BABINECZ (1969-71) • Three-year starter at linebacker • Three-time All-East performer • Sport Magazine College Athlete of the Month BRIAN FINNERAN (1994-97) • Most decorated wideout in school history • 1997 Walter Payton Award winner • Atlantic 10, ECAC Offensive Player of the Year 2005 INDUCTION CLASS BRIAN WESTBROOK (1997-01) • Finished his career holding 41 school records • Also owns five NCAA records, 19 conference marks • 2002 Walter Payton Award winner • Selected to 2004 and 2007 NFL Pro Bowls • School’s all-time leading rusher and scorer The 1997 Wall of Fame Induction Class included Al Atkinson, Eugene Filipski and Billy Joe. John Babinecz had his jersey retired during halftime of the 2003 homecoming game. 2019 FOOTBALL VILLANO VA. C OM 10 GENERAL INFORMATION RETIRED JERSEYSCONFERENCE COACHING STAFF2019 FOOTBALL COACHING STAFF MARK FERRANTE • HEAD COACH V I L L A NO V A . C OM 12 A longtime member of the Wildcats coaching staff, Mark Ferrante returns for his third season as head coach in 2019. Ferrante was an assistant coach under Andy Talley for 30 years, including 18 seasons as Assistant Head Coach. It was announced at a press conference on January 30, 2016 that Ferrante would become the 30th head coach of the Villanova Football program following Talley’s retirement at the end of the 2016 season. Last season, Ferrante led an injury riddled team to a 5-6 overall record. Under Ferrante’s direction a season ago, freshman corner Christian Benford was named the CAA Defensive Rookie of the Year and a third team All-CAA honoree. In addition, senior running back Aaron Forbes and senior offensive tackle Ethan Greenidge were named to the All-Conference second team. Ferrante was also instrumental in helping offensive tackle Brandon Hitner (LA Rams), safety Rob Rolle (Miami Dolphins) and Greenidge (New Orleans Saints) sign NFL free agent contracts. The Wildcats also continued to excel in the classroom in 2018 as 41 players earned a spot on the CAA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll. In his first year as the Wildcats mentor in 2017, Ferrante guided Villanova to a 5-6 overall record and 3-5 CAA mark. Ferrante helped four Wildcats earn All-CAA honors in 2017 highlighted by linebacker Ed Shockley and punter John Hinchen who were first team honorees. Villanova also had three players sign NFL free agent contracts including Trey Johnson (Pittsburgh Steelers), Malik Reaves (Kansas City Chiefs) and Shockley (Dallas Cowboys). Ferrante leads one of the nation’s elite FCS programs after playing an instrumental role in the Wildcats rise to national prominence over the past three decades. He has been a part of the coaching staff for all 12 of the team’s FCS playoff trips, including three national semifinal appearances and winning the 2009 national championship. Villanova has also won six conference titles, three Lambert Meadowlands Cups and three ECAC Team of the Year awards. Others have taken note of the success that Ferrante has been a part of throughout his time on the Main Line. At the end of the 2015 season, he was named the FCS Assistant Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). This award was first presented in 1997 and was created to honor assistant coaches who excel in community service, commitment to the student-athlete, on-field coaching success and AFCA professional organization involvement. Those characteristics exemplify Ferrante’s dedication to the complete student-athlete experience, evidence of which can be seen in the program’s consistent academic success. The football team has earned public recognition awards from the NCAA in each of the last four years for ranking in the top 10 percent of FCS programs in academic performance measured by the multi-year Academic Progress Rate (APR). In addition, a Villanova student-athlete has been named the CAA Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year four times in the past 12 years. More than 40 student-athletes from the 2019 FOOTBALL COACHING STAFF MARK FERRANTE • HEAD COACH 13 V I L L A N O VA . CO M Wildcats have been named to the CAA All-Academic Team in each of the past four academic years. As Andy Talley’s right-hand man for so many years, Ferrante was involved in every facet of the Wildcats program. On the field, he coached the Villanova offensive line for 27 seasons and developed a unit that was traditionally one of the best in CAA Football. Over the years he has coached three All- Americans, 11 All-East performers and 15 first team all-conference selections. Two of Ferrante’s players went on to be NFL draft picks, including second-round selection Ben Ijalana by the Indianapolis Colts (2011) and seventh-round pick Brad Seaton by the Tennessee Titans (2017). Seaton was a second team CAA Football All- Conference selection in 2016, when the offensive line enabled Villanova to average 206.3 rushing yards and 378.7 yards of total offense per game. The Wildcats ranked third in CAA Football and 24th in the nation in rushing offense, in addition to ranking fourth in the league in total offense and fifth with a scoring average of 24.4 points per game. Ijalana was an All-American in both 2009 and 2010, as well as being a three-time first team All-CAA selection during his collegiate career. Villanova reached the FCS playoffs in each of Ijalana’s last three seasons on the team, winning the 2009 national title and advancing to the semifinal round a year later. The other All-Americans who Ferrante has mentored are Eamonn Allen (2001) and Bryan Russo (1989). Allen earned first team Associated Press All-America recognition in 2001 and was also a first team All-East and first team All- Atlantic 10 selection. Villanova’s offensive line produced 17 All-Conference performers over a nine year span, including six first team selections, five second team picks and six third team honorees. In addition to Ijalana, the other first team selections are Brant Clouser (2010), Dan Shirey (2011) and Vince Kowalski (2014). Ferrante was a standout collegiate player in his own right prior to joining the coaching ranks. He was the quarterback for Andy Talley at St. Lawrence University, where he was named the 1982 Division III Player of the Year and also earned first team All-East honors. Ferrante directed the offense for a St. Lawrence team that went 10-1 during the 1982 season and reached the national semifinals in the playoffs. Ferrante went on to join Talley’s coaching staff at St. Lawrence, and spent one season as the running backs coach in 1983. His other coaching stops before coming to Villanova include coaching the running backs at Wagner (1984) and working on the coaching staff at Lafayette (1985-86). Ferrante and his wife, Georgea, reside in Phoenixville, Pa. The couple has a 23-year-old son, Jimmy, who earned his degree from Villanova in 2018.Sean Devine returns to Villanova for his third season in 2019 and will coach the Wildcats offensive line. He will also serve as the team’s Offensive Run Game Coordinator. In addition to recruiting several local schools in the greater Philadelphia area, Devine’s recruiting territory will include South and Central New Jersey and Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas on the national front. Under Devine’s tutelage last year, senior offensive tackle Ethan Greenidge earned second team All-CAA honors. Greenidge went on to sign a free agent contract with the New Orleans Saints. Devine also helped senior offensive tackle Brandon Hitner sign a free agent contract with the Los Angeles Rams. A veteran of more than 20 years in the collegiate coaching ranks, Devine spent four seasons as the Offensive Coordinator and offensive line coach at Delaware before coming to Villanova. He made an immediate mark on the Blue Hens in his first season in 2013, when he worked with one of the top offensive units in CAA Football. Delaware tallied a 7-5 record and ranked in the top half of the league nearly every statistical category, including second in scoring offense (32.8 points per game), third in passing offense (240.0 yards per game) and fourth in rushing offense (177.0 yards per game). Delaware won six games in 2014 and placed both junior tackle Ben Curtis and senior guard JD Dzurko on the All- CAA squad. Curtis went on to be an All-American in 2015 for a Blue Hens team that ranked second in the CAA and 17th in FCS football in rushing offense (219.4 yards per game). Delaware was also second in the league and 13th nationally in time of possession per game (33:04) in 2015. Devine worked with a pair of offensive linemen, Connor Bozick and Brody Kern, who were All-CAA selections for both the 2015 and the 2016 seasons. Devine coached for 14 years (1995-08) at New Hampshire, where he served as defensive line coach (1995-01), offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator (2002-06), and offensive coordinator and offensive line coach (2007- 08). Devine was a part of five consecutive FCS playoff berths from 2004-08, and during his time on the Wildcats coaching staff he saw New Hampshire gain a No. 1 national ranking and capture three conference titles. Among the players he coached was quarterback Ricky Santos, who won at least a share of the league’s Offensive Player of the Year award three straight years from 2005-07. He began his coaching career at his alma mater, Colby College, in 1994 and also coached for four years at Boston College (2009-12) prior to his stint at Delaware. He served as the offensive line coach at Boston College for three seasons and was also the tight ends coach in 2012. Devine helped lead the Eagles to berths in the Emerald Bowl (2009) and the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl (2010), and he coached two-time All-ACC performer Anthony Castonzo who was a 2011 first round draft pick by the Indianapolis Colts. Devine was a four-year starter at linebacker at Colby College, where he was a team captain. He was an All-East selection as a senior and earned his degree in Physics in 1994. He was Colby’s defensive line coach for the 1994 football season. Devine and his wife, Nicole, are the parents to daughters Amelie and Maelle. Ola Adams begins his fifth year with the Wildcats in 2019, and his first as the team’s Defensive Coordinator. After working with the Wildcat running backs his first two years, Adams was the program’s Special Teams Coordinator and cornerbacks coach the past two years. From a recruiting standpoint, Adams handles a number of local high schools in addition to the Maryland and Washington, D.C. area and the state of Virginia. He will also serve as the program’s pro liaison. Under Adams’ tutelage last season, freshman cornerback Christian Benford was named the CAA Defensive Rookie of the Year, as well as earning third team All-CAA accolades. During the 2018 campaign, Adams guided senior corner Malik Reaves to second team All-CAA honors and he was instrumental in senior punter John Hinchen being named first team All-Conference as the team’s Special Teams Coordinator. Adams also helped Reaves and fellow corner Trey Johnson sign free agents contracts with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The 2017 Villanova special teams improved in six different categories in the national statistics under Adams’ tutelage. In addition to going from 112th to 50th nationally in punt return average, the Wildcats improved from 44th to 19th in punt average and 104th to 33rd in kickoff return average. Villanova also finished 15th nationally in field goal kicking after ranking 38th the year prior. Adams coached All-CAA running backs in each of his first two seasons on the Main Line. Sophomore Aaron Forbes was a third team selection in 2016 after leading the team with 799 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. Forbes had a pair of 100-yard games, including a career-high 151 rushing yards and two touchdowns in a win over Albany. He also had one receiving touchdown on the year and led Villanova with 54 points. Senior running back Gary Underwood was a first team All-CAA selection and an All-ECAC honoree in 2015 during Adams’ first year with the Wildcats. He came to Villanova from Columbia University where he was the wide receivers coach in 2014. Prior to his year at Columbia, Adams was the Assistant Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator at Cortland State. During his three years at Cortland, the Red Dragons tallied a 24-9 overall record and earned a NCAA playoff bid in 2012. In three seasons, his defense ranked top 33 nationally in 17 separate categories. Prior to spending one seasons (2010) as the secondary coach at Glenville State College, Adams had his first stint at Cortland as the defensive backs coach in 2009. He began his coaching career as the assistant defensive backs coach at Concord University in 2008. Adams has also participated in the NFL minority OLA ADAMS DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR/ SECONDARY • 5th Season SEAN DEVINE OFFENSIVE RUN GAME COORDINATOR/ OFFENSIVE Line • 3rd Season 2019 FOOTBALL V I L L A NO V A . C OM 14 COACHING STAFF ASSISTANT COACHESinternship program. In 2014, he was the minority intern for defense (secondary) for the San Francisco 49ers, while in 2013 he served as the minority internship with the Chicago Bears (defensive line). Also, in 2013, he participated in the NFL Coaching Academy. As a player, Adams was a four-year starter at Concord University where he was the No. 7 rated Division II free safety in 2008. A three-time All-WVIAC honoree, including two years earning first team honors, Adams served as a team captain during his senior campaign. He also earned All-Northeast Region honors on two occasions. His career stats include 283 tackles, 29 pass break-ups, 14 tackles for loss, seven interceptions, five fumble recoveries and five forced fumbles. Adams, who earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Recreation and Tourism Management in 2008, also ran track at Concord and was the 2006 WVIAC triple jump runner-up. Adams is single and resides in Philadelphia, Pa. Chris Boden is in his first year on the Villanova coaching staff and is the team’s Offensive Coordinator and quarterbacks coach. The former Wildcats standout is the program’s all-time career passing leader and returns to his alma mater after a successful head coaching stint at ASA College. Boden will recruit Florida along with New Jersey North, including Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren counties. His local recruiting territory will include Abington, Archbishop Wood, Bensalem, Bishop McDevitt, Bristol, Cheltenham, Conwell-Egan, Council Rock North, Council Rock South, Harry S. Truman, Jenkintown, Lower Moreland, Morrisville, Neshaminy, Pennsbury, Upper Moreland and William Tennent high schools. Boden was most recently the head coach of ASA College Miami, where he led his teams to a 15-10 record over the past three seasons. That record included a 7-2 mark in his first year with the program in 2016, when the Silver Storm finished the season leading the nation in total defense and ranked fourth nationally in scoring defense. ASA College tallied a .500 record in each of Boden’s next two seasons, including going 5-5 and posting a +15.3 scoring margin for the 2018 campaign. In his first experience as a head coach at the collegiate level, Boden led ASA College New York for the 2015 season after serving as the school’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the previous six years. Boden led the Avengers to a 6-5 record in 2015, including a five-game win streak midway through the season. His team featured a strong offensive attack and averaged 25.1 points per game to go along with 353.2 yards per contest. Including his previous stint as the program’s offensive coordinator, Boden was a part of the ASA College New York coaching staff for a total of six years beginning with the program’s inception in 2009. Boden returned to the collegiate ranks after holding several coaching roles in the Arena Football League. He was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Columbus Destroyers and previously held similar roles with the Colorado Crush and the Nashville Kats. Boden was a part of consecutive playoff appearances by the Crush during the 2007 and 2008 seasons. He coached a pair of All-Arena players in 2007, with center Kyle Moore-Brown earning first team accolades and wide receiver Damian Harrell being named to the second team. Moore-Brown was also a second team All-Arena honoree in 2008. Boden began his coaching career as the quarterbacks coach at Fordham for one season following a record-setting collegiate career. A 2000 graduate of Villanova with a degree in Sociology, Boden was the Wildcats starting quarterback from the 1997- 99 seasons. He compiled a 25-10 record as a starter under center and helped the 1997 squad to a perfect 11-0 regular season and an appearance in the FCS playoffs. Boden is the school record holder with 10,146 career passing yards and he also holds the career (99), single season (42) and single game (six) passing touchdown records. He was 868-of- 1412 through the air in a Villanova uniform, completing 61.5 percent of his passes with the 99 touchdowns and just 31 interceptions. Boden still holds four of the program’s 10 highest single game passing performances and is the Wildcats career and single game leader in passing attempts and completions. Each of his three seasons as the starting quarterback rank in the top five in school history for total passing yards, including a high of 3,707 yards in 1997 which ranks second all-time. Boden also ranks second in the Villanova record book in career total offense. Boden is a native of San Clemente, Calif. and set 11 school records at San Clemente High School during a successful scholastic career before he came to Villanova. Boden and his wife, Jaclyn, reside in Media, Pa. with their seven-year old son, Chase, and four-year old daughter, Makayla. One of the veteran members of the Villanova coaching staff, David Riede is in his 13th season with the Wildcats in 2019 and will be team’s Recruiting Coordinator in addition to working with the team’s linebackers. Riede will specifically recruit several local schools in Chester County as well as Pennsylvania districts 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10, in addition to nationally in West Virginia, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah. CHRIS BODEN OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR / QUARTERBACKS • 1st Season DAVID RIEDE RECRUITING COORDINATOR/ LINEBACKERS • 13th Season 2019 FOOTBALL 15 V I L L A N O VA . CO M COACHING STAFF ASSISTANT COACHESRiede has held several roles on the staff during his time at Villanova and was most recently the cornerbacks coach for eight seasons and the program’s Director of Player Personnel for nine years. In that role, he was responsible for assisting with all aspects of the Wildcats recruiting efforts and he also served as the team’s liaison to the Academic Support and Compliance offices. Riede came to Villanova from Allegheny College where he was an assistant from 2005-07. During his stay at Allegheny, Riede was responsible for coaching the wide receivers and overseeing all aspects of video coordination. He is a 2003 graduate of Baldwin Wallace College where he earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Criminal Justice. During his playing days at Baldwin Wallace, he was a two- year letterwinner in football and a three-year letterwinner in baseball. Riede earned a Master’s in Sport and Recreational Management from Kent State University in 2005. Riede and his wife Lindsey reside in Wilmington. Del., with their one-year old son Jack. Ross Pennypacker returns for his fifth season on the Wildcat staff in 2019. In addition to serving as the Wildcats defensive line coach, Pennypacker will also be the team’s Special Teams Coordinator and the Defensive Run Game Coordinator. He previously was a graduate assistant and assistant coach for the program from 2006-07. Pennypacker will recruit a number of local schools, and his primary recruiting area will consist of Pennsylvania (Districts 2, 4, 11) and New York (Sections 3, 4, 5, 6). He will also recruit nationally in North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Pennypacker spent four seasons as the Defensive Coordinator and safeties coach at Kutztown before returning to Villanova. While coaching the Bears, he mentored 15 defensive players who earned All-PSAC honors. Pennypacker’s defenses tallied three shutouts and ranked in the top half of the PSAC in rushing defense and turnover margin. Kutztown led the PSAC in red zone defense in 2014 and ranked in the top three in the league in total defense and turnover margin. Perhaps even more impressively, the Bears were 15-1 during Pennypacker’s time on staff when the defense held opponents to fewer than 24 points. Before his coaching stint at Kutztown, Pennypacker was an assistant coach for three years at Bucknell. He coached the team’s linebackers in 2011 and 2012 after guiding the safeties in his first season on the staff. Pennypacker was also the cornerbacks coach at Cornell from 2008-09. He began his coaching career in 2005 at his alma mater, Millersville University. A linebacker as a player, Pennypacker went on to serve as a student assistant and worked with both the outside linebackers and the safeties. He also was an intern assistant at Allegheny College, where he worked with the outside linebackers. During his first stint at Villanova, Pennypacker’s duties included serving as the Wildcats video coordinator and assisting with the defensive backs. Pennypacker is a 2005 graduate of Millersville with a degree in social sciences. He and his wife, Lisa, reside in Flemington, N.J.. Brian Jones is in his third year in his second stint on the Villanova coaching staff in 2019. Jones is no stranger to the program after having been a member of the original Wildcats staff from 1984-87 when then head coach Andy Talley started to rebuild the program. Jones will work with the Villanova running backs and will recruit in several local areas, as well as in New York (Sections 1, 2, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11) and nationally in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri and Wisconsin. Last season, Jones helped senior running back Aaron Forbes earn second team All-CAA honors. Forbes led the 2018 Wildcats in both rushing (828 yards on 153 carries- 5.4 avg.) and scoring (11 touchdowns for 66 points). Jones made a name for himself during more than two decades of coaching running backs at the FBS level. He spent 16 seasons at Missouri, where he was in charge of a Tigers running game that produced a 1,000-yard rusher seven times in a 10-year span beginning in 2006. He worked with senior tailback Russell Hansbrough during the 2014 season, when Hansbrough ran for 1,084 yards. Hansbrough also rushed for 685 yards and four scores in 2013, when Missouri ranked 16th among all FBS teams with an average of 237.4 yards per game on the ground. Henry Josey was one of the top comeback stories in college football during that 2013 campaign, as he gained 1,166 yards with 16 touchdowns and an average of 6.7 yards per carry one year after sitting out with a severe knee injury. Behind Josey were the duo of Hansbrough and Marcus Murphy, who rushed for 601 yards and nine touchdowns. Josey had been a first team All-Conference performer in 2011 when he averaged 116.8 yards per contest to lead a Missouri squad which led the Big 12 with 244.0 rushing yards per game. The other all-conference performers that Jones coached at Missouri are tailbacks Zack Abron, Tony Temple and Derrick Washington. Abron was a three-time All-League selection during his career, garnering second team honors in 2003 after being an honorable mention pick the year prior and a third team selection in 2001. Temple was a Honorable Mention All-Big 12 pick in both 2006 and 2007, while Washington was a second team honoree in 2008 and merited honorable mention accolades in 2009. Jones coached under Gary Pinkel at Toledo from 1992-00, then followed Pinkel to Missouri for the 2001 season. During his last two years at Toledo, the Rockets running attack was ranked in the top 10 in the country. Toledo averaged 253.8 rushing yards per game in 2000 to rank ninth in the nation, while the 1999 squad was 10th nationally with 239.2 yards per game in addition to leading the country with an average of 5.35 yards per attempt. In 1995, Toledo led the MAC and was fifth in the nation with 244.5 rushing yards per game. The team’s starting tailback that season, Wasean Tait, was named the MAC BRIAN JONES RUNNING BACKS COACH • 3rd Season ROSS PENNYPACKERDEFENSIVE LINE COACH • 4th SeasonROSS PENNYPACKER Special Teams Coordinator / Def. Run Game Coord./Def. Line • 5th Season 2019 FOOTBALL V I L L A NO V A . C OM 16 COACHING STAFF ASSISTANT COACHESPlayer of the Year and garnered second team All-America honors after ranking second in the nation in rushing and third in scoring. Jones began his coaching career as the offensive line coach at RPI from 1983-84, before he came to Villanova as an outside linebackers coach. He also made stops at Massachusetts (1988-91; receivers/outside linebackers) and Lafayette (1991, receivers) before going to Toledo and then on to Missouri. Jones also coached at Central Methodist College in Missouri in 2016. As a collegiate student-athlete, Jones was an offensive lineman at Connecticut, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing in 1980. He also holds a Master of Science Degree in Administration and Physical Education from Norwich (1983). Jones was born in Jamaica and raised in New York City. He and his wife, Mary Kay, are the parents of sons Grant and Brandon, and daughter Aubrey. Grant played football at Missouri, while Brandon is currently a member of the University of Illinois football team. Nate Pagan is back for his third season in 2019. After serving as an offensive assistant the last two years, Pagan earned a promotion to be the Wildcats wide receivers coach. He will recruit part of Philadelphia County and nationally in Atlanta (Cobb, Fayette, Fulton Counties), Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. Pagan arrived at Villanova after spending two seasons at Stevenson, where he coached the wide receivers and was also the Special Teams Coordinator in 2016. During the 2016 season, Pagan assisted an offense that led the conference in scoring with 36.7 points per game. He coached a pair of receivers that earned All-Conference selections, including Preston Addo who was named first team All-MAC after finishing the season with 47 receptions for 799 yards and 12 touchdowns. In addition, Devin Salisbury was a second team All-MAC selection after tallying 71 catches for 815 yards and six scores. In his first season at Stevenson in 2015, Pagan coached Cortez Taylor who was an honorable mention All-MAC selection. As Special Teams Coordinator in 2016, Pagan coached three players who earned All-Conference mention on special teams. Running back Devonte Williams was the Special Teams Player of the Year and Addo was the Special Teams Returner of the Year. In addition, kicker Tim Sternfeld was named a second team all-league pick. The special teams unit ranked 14th in Division III in punt returns. Prior to Stevenson, Pagan was the wide receivers coach at SUNY Cortland for the 2013 and 2014 seasons. He coached All-American receiver John Babin, who had 82 receptions for 1,278 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2013. He also mentored first team All-Region kick returner Dylan Peebles. Peebles went on to earn All-America honors as a kick returner in 2014 when he had 26 returns for 907 yards, three touchdowns and an average of 34.9 yards per return. A graduate of West Chester University in 2013 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Studies/Professional Studies, Pagan was a defensive back, wide receiver and kick returner for the Golden Rams after playing one season at Clarion in 2008. He was recognized on the WCU Athletic Director’s Academic Honor Roll for six semesters while with the Golden Rams. Pagan is a native of Lancaster, Pa. Matt Colangelo returns to Villanova for a second stint on the coaching staff in 2019 and in his current role will work with the Wildcats outside linebackers. He will also recruit primarily in New England, including Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont, as well as several local high schools. Colangelo previously spent the 2017 season at Villanova and most recently was the safeties coach at Holy Cross. During his one season with the Crusaders, Colangelo assisted with a defense which was one of the team’s strengths. Starting safety Joe Lang finished second on the team with 77 tackles and tied for the team lead with two forced fumbles while adding two sacks and four pass breakups. Colangelo also was responsible for recruiting areas of Pennsylvania (Northeastern and Lehigh Valley) as well as Texas. Colangelo first came to Villanova in 2017 and was an assistant linebackers coach during Mark Ferrante’s first year as Wildcats head coach. Colangelo helped to coach a unit that included first team All-CAA linebacker Ed Shockley, who had a team-high 101 tackles and went on to sign a free agent NFL contract following the season. Prior to his first Villanova stint, Colangelo was a defensive assistant at Yale for the 2016 season. He began his coaching career at his alma mater, Assumption, where he was an assistant coach for the 2014 and 2015 seasons. The Greyhounds won a combined 18 games during his two years on the staff, including an 11-2 season in 2015 when the team put together a 10-game winning streak and advanced to the second round of the NCAA playoffs. Colangelo played linebacker at Assumption during his collegiate career and was a senior captain for the 2013 season. The native of Cromwell, Conn. ranked third on the team in tackles as a senior, with his stats for the year including 69 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, one fumble recovery, two interceptions, two quarterback hurries and one pass breakup. He earned Northeast-10 All-Conference first team honors that year and was also a Worcester Area first team all-star. Colangelo was presented with the 2014 William A. Cating ’64 Memorial Award as the Most Coachable male athlete at Assumption. NATE PAGAN WIDE RECEIVERS COACH • 3rd Season (Brian Jones bio continued) MATT COLANGELO OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS • 2nd Season (Nate Pagan bio continued) 2019 FOOTBALL 17 V I L L A N O VA . CO M COACHING STAFF ASSISTANT COACHESNext >