|
Football
The University of Rhode Island turned to one of its own on December 18, 2007 when former Ram All-American tight end Darren Rizzi was selected as the 18th head coach in program history. He returns to The Ocean State after serving on Greg Schiano's coaching staff at Rutgers for the past six seasons, including last season as associate head coach. "Today really is a dream come true for me," Rizzi said at his introductory press conference. "I wanted to be a college football coach because I don't consider it a job. I feel as if I get paid to do what I'm passionate about and what is my hobby. Not a lot of people can say that in life. I remember talking to my teammates when I was in college about getting into coaching and never getting out of football and how passionate we were about it. This was a day I literally dreamt about, and when (URI AD) Thorr (Bjorn) talks about it being a dream come true for me, it is. I've always dreamt about coming back to this University and building this football program into a championship football program, which is what we're going to do. We're going to play an exciting and hard brand of football on the field, while conducting ourselves in a first-class manner off the field. Everything we do will be first-class and with a first-class approach. That's the kind of person I am and that's the kind of program I plan on running." Rizzi, who walked onto the URI football team in 1988, still ranks among the all-time leaders in receptions with 160 (4th), receiving yards with 2,426 (4th) and touchdown receptions (5th). A team captain in 1992, Rizzi was named First Team All-Yankee Conference and First Team Consensus All-America following the season. "I remember coming in from the snowstorm after my interview and my wife asked me how it went," Rizzi explained. "I told her that URI had finally made a step in the right direction. His (Director of Athletics Thorr Bjorn) energy, his enthusiasm, his vision, his goals, and his passion for the University are probably the No. 1 reason why I'm standing here today. I've entered into a partnership with Thorr Bjorn to turn this football program into a championship-level football program." As coach of Rutgers' special teams and outside linebackers, Rizzi helped the Scarlet Knights earn their third-consecutive bowl bid and second-consecutive bowl win in 2007. Following a 7-5 regular season which was highlighted by a 30-27 win over No. 2 South Florida in front of a national television audience on ESPN, Rutgers defeated Ball State 52-30 in the International Bowl at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario. On the season, the Scarlet Knights finished tied for first in the BIG EAST with 41 sacks while finishing third in both total defense, allowing an average of 327.5 ypg, and opponent first downs (228). "We have a slogan we used at Rutgers about trust, belief and accountability and having those three things being the backbone of your program. I intend to have those things as the backbone of this program, too," Rizzi explained. "Trust is from player to coach, player to player, and coach to coach, a belief in what we're going to do whether it's your idea or not, and me being accountable to the team and them being accountable to me and each other. " Rizzi arrived in Piscataway in 2002 and helped the Scarlet Knights go from 1-11 in 2002 to 7-5 in 2005 and the school's first bowl game since 1978. Rutgers faced off against Arizona State in the Insight Bowl in Phoenix, Ariz. on December 27, 2005 and suffered a 45-40 setback to the high-powered Sun Devil attack. The following season, the Scarlet Knights rewrote the record books by posting an 11-2 record and the school's first-ever bowl win, a 37-10 triumph over Kansas State in the Texas Bowl. That year, Rutgers climbed as high as No. 7 in the Associated Press poll following a win 28-25 win over No. 3/4 Louisville and finished the season ranked No. 12. The defense allowed just 252.2 yards per game and 14.3 ppg - both tops in the BIG EAST. In six years under the direction of Rizzi, special teams became a hallmark of the Rutgers football program, as exemplified in the team's numerous All-BIG EAST selections and national accolades. In 2006, former punter Joe Radigan and placekicker Jeremy Ito were both named to the all conference team, while wide receiver/return specialist Willie Foster was tabbed BIG EAST Special Teams Player of the Year in 2005. With Rizzi at the reins, the Scarlet Knights ranked eighth nationally in kickoff returns in 2005. Individually, Ito was 12th nationally in field goals per game. As one of the top place kickers in the country, Ito was a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award and an honorable mention All-American by sportsillustrated.com in 2006 and graduated as RU's all-time leader in scoring and field goals. "I think Rutgers and Rhode Island are a great parallel because of where Rutgers was seven years ago and where Rhode Island is today," said Rizzi. "I grew up in New Jersey and was never on the Rutgers campus until I was 18 or 19 years old. I had this perception of Rutgers, and I think Rhode Island is the same way. It will take a lot of hard work for the staff and I to get guys on campus, but I know I speak for everyone I played with when I say that this is a great place to play, a great place to go to school, and a great place to be socially and academically." Under Rizzi's tutelage, former Rutgers standout and NFL defensive back Nate Jones developed into one of the nation's most feared kickoff return weapons. Jones earned All-BIG EAST honors twice, being named the Conference's "Co-Special Teams Player of the Year" in 2002. Jones also led the BIG EAST and was sixth in the country in kickoff returns, averaging 28.3 yards per return in 2002. Rizzi also helped build a strong corps of linebackers while at Rutgers. In 2006, his group played a vital role in a staunch Rutgers defense that finished fourth nationally in total defense, fifth in sacks and tackles for loss and eight in scoring defense. Former standout and All-BIG EAST selection Devraun Thompson finished his career fourth on the school's all-time list in assisted tackles. Before taking over the linebackers in 2005, Rizzi served as the Scarlet Knights' running backs coach in his first three seasons on the staff, and developed a deep corps, led by fullback and 2007 St. Louis Ram's second-round pick Brian Leonard. Leonard was a First Team All-BIG EAST selection and was named to Pro Football Weekly's All-America team following an outstanding 2004 campaign. Leonard was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Year in 2003 by College Football News after leading the team in rushing with 880 yards. Prior to his arrival at RU, Rizzi spent four years as an assistant coach at New Haven, where he coached for and was mentored by Miami Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano. During that time, the Chargers made a pair of trips to the Division II playoffs, including a runner-up finish in 1997. For his efforts, Sparano was was named the New York Metropolitan Football Writers Division II Coach of the Year that year and was the New England Football Writers Division II/III Coach of the Year in both 1995 and 1997. After spending the 1998 season at Northeastern, Rizzi returned to New Haven as head coach in 1999. Using the tools he helped craft under Sparano, Rizzi compiled a 15-14 record, despite playing notoriously challenging schedules. In his final season at New Haven, Rizzi guided the Chargers to a 5-4 record in 2001, facing one of the toughest schedules in the nation among Division II teams. One of the biggest wins in New Haven history came when Rizzi's Chargers notched a 17-14 upset victory over Villanova, which was ranked No. 12 among Division I-AA teams at the time. Rizzi began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Colgate in 1993, serving as tight ends coach/special teams assistant. He was an assistant at New Haven from 1994-97, serving as special teams coordinator/defensive line from 1994-96 before being elevated to defensive coordinator in 1997, where he helped lead the Chargers to a 12-2 record and an appearance in the Division II National Championship game. Rizzi was also on the Northeastern staff in 1998, serving as special teams coordinator/linebackers coach, before returning to New Haven as head coach in 1999. A native of Hillsdale, N.J. and a graduate of Bergen Catholic High School, Rizzi earned a degree in sports communications from URI in 1992. Earlier that year, Rizzi was named the Rhode Island College Player of the Year, and was honored by the New Jersey Sports Writers Association at its annual banquet. Rizzi and his wife, Tracey, reside in North Kingston. They are the proud parents of five children - MacKenzie, Alexandra, Christian, Casey, and Cameron. updated: 7/22/08 |
 COACHING STAFFFOOTBALL LINKS
|
|||||||||||||||
