UNHFOOTBALL-CAA-LEADING97STRAIGHTWEEKSRANKEDIN TOP25
head coach sean mcdonnell
Sean McDonnell, a 1978 University of New Hampshire graduate, gears up for his 13th season as the head coach at his alma mater with a career record of 88-58. In 2010, McDonnell’s Wildcats collected victories against five ranked opponents, a University record, en route to an 8-5 campaign. New Hampshire qualified for the NCAA Division I FCS Championship for the seventh consecutive season, the longest active streak in the nation. Further, UNH advanced to the quarterfinal round for the sixth time in those seven years after dispatching Bethune-Cookman, 45-20, in a second-round encounter before suffering a quarterfinal loss at eventual national championship game participant Delaware, 16-3. During this remarkable seven-season run of success, the Wildcats have posted a mark of 65-25 for a .722 winning percentage. They have been ranked in The Sports Network/Fathead.com Top 25 for a Colonial Athletic Association (CAA)-leading 97 consecutive weeks, dating back to Sept. 13, 2004. McDonnell was feted as the 2010 Division I FCS Coach of the Year by the New England Football Writers, the third time he’s been honored (2005, ’08). During the course of the ’10 campaign, the ‘Cats earned their 12th straight home victory –a school record- by shutting out No. 11 Richmond, 17-0, on Homecoming. Two weeks later, UNH made history by topping No. 12 UMass, 39-13, in the inaugural Colonial Clash at Gillette Stadium. The game was witnessed by 32,848 fans, the largest football crowd in CAA history. McDonnell has guided UNH football to the upper echelon of the FCS and has recruited several All-Americans and NFL-caliber players, including the likes of Walter Payton Award-winning QB Ricky Santos (2005) and the all-time NCAA FCS record holder for TD catches in WR David Ball (2003-06), who surpassed Jerry Rice’s career mark of 51 TDs with his 58 scoring receptions. In 2009, UNH finished 10-3 and won its second straight CAA North Division championship. The Wildcats continued to be giant killers by knocking off an FBS opponent for the fifth straight time, securing a hard-fought 23-16 triumph at Ball State. Previous FBS opponents to feel the wrath of the Wildcats during the amazing upset run were Army (2008), Marshall (’07), Northwestern (’06) and Rutgers (’04). UNH was the only team to defeat eventual FCS national champion Villanova on Homecoming (28-24). The Wildcats also posted an impressive win on the road at McNeese State, defeating the Cowboys, 49-13, in the first round of the NCAA playoffs. New Hampshire notched a 10-3 record in 2008, including a defeat of Southern Illinois in the first round of the NCAAs before a quarterfinal-round setback at Northern Iowa. UNH finished the season ranked No. 7 or No. 8 in most national polls, and McDonnell was honored as the New England FCS Coach of the Year for the second time in his tenure. In 2007, the Wildcats were 7-5 overall and just narrowly missed upsetting No. 1 Northern Iowa in the first round of the NCAAs, losing on a last-minute TD, 38-35, at the UNI Dome. The Wildcat offense, ranked 16th in the nation, averaged over 400 yards per contest. The Wildcats were ranked as high as No. 1 in the nation in 2006 and finished the season ranked No. 6 after defeating Hampton in the first round (41-38) of the NCAA Championships. In 2005, McDonnell was honored as the Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year by The Sports Network after leading his Wildcats to a record-breaking 11-2 season, an Atlantic 10 Championship title and a second straight NCAA appearance in the I-AA quarterfinals. McDonnell had his Wildcats ranked No. 1 in the nation at the end of the 2005 regular season. In 2005 the Wildcats played two nationally-televised NCAA postseason games on ESPN at Cowell Stadium, beating Colgate in the first round before succumbing to Northern Iowa in the NCAA quarterfinals. In 2004, his hard work rebuilding the program paid off in a 10-3 overall record and a 6-2 mark in the Atlantic 10, which earned the team the Northern Division Championship title. UNH earned a bid to the NCAA I-AA Championships for the first time since 1994 and advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time in the history of the program. UNH won its first-ever NCAA contest under McDonnell, upsetting Georgia Southern in the first round, 27-23, on national television. McDonnell was named a finalist for the Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year and was selected District Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). In 2003, UNH steadily improved as the season went on and the Wildcats went on to win three of their last four contests, including an upset victory over top-25 squad, Maine. The team’s 5-7 record could have easily been above .500, as UNH narrowly lost to No. 1-ranked Delaware on a missed field goal in the closing seconds, and UNH was driving for the game-winning TD late in the Division I contest at Central Michigan, but ran out of time. UNH posted impressive victories over the likes of top-ranked Massachusetts, Dartmouth and Richmond. The Minutemen were ranked 17th in the nation when the Wildcats defeated them by a 31-14 margin at Cowell Stadium. In 2002, McDonnell’s offense was one of the most prolific in I-AA football and averaged 449.2 yards per contest and 36.7 ppg. In the victories over the likes of Hampton, James Madison, Dartmouth and Massachusetts the ‘Cats scored 37 ppg and scored over 40 points in two of the victories. UNH finished with a 4-7 overall record in 2001. In 2000, the Wildcats were ranked as high as 23rd in the nation and knocked off three top-25 opponents, including Hampton (31-17), Massachusetts (24-16) and No. 2 Delaware on Nov. 4 (45-44 OT). Injuries squashed UNH’s chances for a playoff berth down the stretch, but UNH opened the campaign with a 4-0 record, its best start since 1977 when the Wildcats won seven straight games. UNH finished the season with a 6-5 record and finished tied for fourth in the Atlantic 10. As a result of his outstanding coaching performance, McDonnell was named the Gridiron Club Of Greater Boston College Head Coach Of The Year. In his rookie debut, McDonnell led the Wildcats to a 5-6 overall record and oversaw a wide-open offensive attack that led the Atlantic 10 with an average of 457.3 yards per game. McDonnell was named the 19th head coach of the UNH football program on April 22, 1999. McDonnell replaced legendary head coach Bill Bowes, who retired after 27 years as the mentor of the Wildcats. McDonnell served eight seasons as a Wildcat assistant and completed his fifth year as the team’s offensive coordinator in 1998. McDonnell rejoined the Wildcats as an assistant coach before the 1991 spring camp and worked with the quarterbacks and receivers for his first three seasons. In 1997, McDonnell was named the recipient of “The College Assistant Coach Award” by the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston in recognition of his quality of performance, loyalty and longevity. A native of Saratoga Springs, N.Y., McDonnell was a standout defensive back for UNH. He started for the 1975 and 1976 Yankee Conference championship teams and came back to start for the 1978 squad. After his graduation from UNH, he spent one year as an assistant coach at Manchester (N.H.) Memorial High School and followed that up with a three-year stint at Manchester West (1980-82). McDonnell worked as the defensive coordinator at Hamilton College for two seasons (1983-84) and subsequently spent three years (1985-87) coaching the receivers and tight ends at former conference-rival Boston University. During the 1988 campaign, McDonnell served as a graduate assistant coach at Boston College. He spent two seasons as an assistant at Columbia (1989-90) prior to his coaching debut in Durham. Sean and his wife, Jenny, reside in Durham and are the parents of two sons: Timmy and Tommy.
WWW.UNHWILDCATS.COM
Sean McDonnell File Accolades
• New England Coach of the Year (‘10, ‘08, ‘05) • Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year (‘05) • Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year finalist (‘04) • District Coach of the Year, AFCA (‘04) • College Head Coach of the Year, Gridiron Club of Greater Boston (‘00)
College Coaching Experience
• University of New Hampshire (20 years) º Head coach (12 years) º Offensive coordinator (5 years) º QB / WR coach (3 years) • Columbia University (2 years) • Boston College, grad assistant (1 year) • Boston University, WR/TE (3 years) • Hamilton College, defensive coordinator (2 years)
1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Year by Year
5-6 (3-5 Atlantic 10) 6-5 (4-4 Atlantic 10) 4-7 (2-7 Atlantic 10) 3-8 (2-7 Atlantic 10) 5-7 (3-6 Atlantic 10) 10-3 (6-2 Atlantic 10) NCAA quarterfinals 11-2 (7-1 Atlantic 10) NCAA quarterfinals 9-4 (5-3 Atlantic 10) NCAA quarterfinals 7-5 (4-4 CAA) NCAA first round 10-3 (6-2 CAA) NCAA quarterfinals 10-3 (6-2 CAA) NCAA quarterfinals 8-5 (5-3 CAA) NCAA quarterfinals
Career: 88-58 (.603) | CAA Record: 53-46 (.535)
2011 UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE FOOTBALL 2009 New Hampshire Football • •