This morning, Marist football announced the hiring of its fifth head coach in program history, former Princeton assistant coach and offensive coordinator Mike Willis.
The announcement comes weeks after former head coach, 32-year tenured Jim Parady announced his retirement after going 4-7 with a 4-4 in-conference record and losing their last game on the season to Bucknell 38-21.
“I’m honored to be the next head football coach at Marist College,” said Willis in a press release from Marist Athletics. “I’d like to thank President Weinman, Tim Murray, and the Marist College administration for their belief in me. I’m excited to build an elite staff, recruit the best student-athletes in the country to Marist, and develop our players to reach their full potential. I can’t wait to get to work!”
Willis takes the helm with ample experience on the offensive side of the ball. First being hired as the tight ends coach for the Princeton Tigers in 2016, he immediately became an assistant coach the following season. That year, the Tigers ranked in the top five in the FCS in passing, scoring, and total offense.
With that top-ranked offense, Princeton went undefeated in 2018 (10-0), clinching the Ivy League conference championship. The Tigers produced a whopping 47 points per game that season, 14 more points than second-ranked Dartmouth, while only allowing 13 points against.
Since becoming Princeton’s offensive coordinator in 2020, the Tigers have enjoyed a 40-10 record. The Tigers had the best scoring offense in the Ivy League in 2022 with Willis as offensive coordinator. This season, they fell to 5-5 with a 4-3 in-conference record.
Willis now takes over a Marist program that ranked last in scoring offense in the PFL and third to last in total offensive yards.
“Mike was impressive in many areas during the search process,” said Marist Athletic Director Tim Murray in the press release. “His energy and passion for football was clearly contagious in his presentation to everyone he met with on campus. Mike’s academic and football backgrounds have prepared him well to build on our football program with student athletes who are looking for a competitive academic program and championship football.”
Being a part of four Ivy League championships both as a player and a coach at Princeton, Willis’ experience earned him a promotion to head coach. While Marist defensive coordinator Scott Rumsey filled in as the interim head coach during the hiring process, it is unclear what Willis’ staff will look like for the upcoming 2023 season.
Edited by Luke Sassa
Photo Credit: Marist Athletics
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