COACHING STAFF
MARK VERDI OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS 25TH SEASON
2010 PIONEERS
As the dean of Pioneer assistants, 25th-year assistant coach Mark Verdi tutors outside linebackers and, as director of football operations, supervises gameday set up. He also helps the program with in-season recruiting. Under Verdi’s guidance, the linebackers have played an important role in the Pioneers’ success. Among the many players he has coached include recent Hall of Fame inductee, Brian Hurbert, and current outside linebacker coach Randi Moore. Prior to his arrival at C.W. Post, Verdi coached for two seasons as both the offensive backfield and linebackers coach at St. John’s University. During his time there, one of his top players was Bryan Collins, today the Pioneers’ head coach. Verdi began his coaching career at the high school level in the fall of 1981 as defensive backs coach for his alma mater, Holy Cross High School. He followed that with two years as defensive coordinator at Cardinal Hayes High School. Verdi is an instructor for earth and environmental sciences at Archbishop Molloy High School in Briarwood, N.Y. He is the proud father of daughter, Taylor Anne (9).
ERNIE BLOUNT
DEFENSIVE BACKS 12TH SEASON
Now in his 12th year with the Pioneer coaching staff, Ernie Blount has been in charge of the team’s defensive backs for the last eight seasons. In 2009, the C.W. Post secondary unit ranked first in the PSAC in pass defense efficiency. During the 2005 campaign, Blount’s pass-defense unit played a major role in the Pioneers’ overall defense, the best in the Northeast-10 conference and one of the best in all of Division II in 2005. In 2003, the Blount-led Pioneers ranked first nationally in passing defense. Blount’s flexibility as a mentor saw him begin his C.W. Post coaching career with three seasons as a wide receiver coach. Two players who served under his guidance, Eddie Hardaway and Jeremiah Pope, were invited to NFL training camps. This past season, 2007 graduate Jamel Ramsay played for the Preorie Pirates. In six years of coaching at Baldwin High, Blount helped lead his team to a trio of playoff appearances and also coached in the Nassau County All-Star game. Blount and his wife, Chavonne, reside in Freeport, and have four children: Ernie, Eric, Elliott and Courtney. He attended Brooklyn College.
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JIM GIBBONS
DEFENSIVE LINE/ SPECIAL TEAMS 14TH SEASON Jim Gibbons enters his 14th season as special teams coach, and first as defensive line coach – the most recent entries on a resume that also includes coaching Pioneer quarterbacks, tight ends and the offensive line. Additionally, he serves as C.W. Post’s field scheduling coordinator and as the athletic department’s community service liaison. Under his tutelage, the special teams unit has become a potent force, returning punts and touchdowns for scores, blocking kicks and forcing fumbles. In 2009, Gibbons’ veteran D-Line recorded 27 sacks and senior Xavier Brown was named AFCA All-America. At the high school level, Gibbons coached from 1990-94 at Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he helped his squads win a pair of Class B New York City Championships. He then moved on to Westhampton Beach before arriving at C.W. Post. Gibbons resides in Massapequa, N.Y. with his wife, Kerri, and the couple’s three children: daughter Brianna (14) and sons Shane (11) and Garrett (9).
JONATHAN GILL
QUARTERBACKS SEVENTH SEASON Now in his seventh season as the C.W. Post quarterbacks and wide receivers coach, Jonathan Gill returned to his Long Island roots in 2004 after competing for four seasons at quarterback with the University of Akron Zips. Gill, who also serves as the team’s strength and conditioning coach, was instrumental in helping develop the play of honorable-mention All-America signal-caller, Rob Blount. The 2005 Northeast-10 and ECAC MVP, Blount’s 2,995 passing yards during the team’s national quarterfinals run are the most in Division II history by a back who totaled 1,000 yards rushing in the same season. Gill played a key role as a member of Akron’s scout offense in the 2001 campaign, and his duties helped aid the Zips’ defense in holding opponents to 17 points or less in seven games that year. The Flushing, N.Y. native was a talented two-sport athlete at St. Francis Prep in Queens. He earned All-City and AllConference recognition on the gridiron, before competing in the New York City Senior Bowl.
2010 C.W. POST FOOTBALL