The Great Santini

Many of you know the parallels between my own life & The Great Santini...but one good that came from this life experience is that one of my siblings figured out how to take the good from the bad & create a positive. Congrats to my baby brother JOE and a early HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Joe Trainer Named Rhode Island Football Head Coach
Former Rams associate head coach/defensive coordinator becomes 19th head coach in school history

Feb. 27, 2009

KINGSTON, R.I. - Joe Trainer, who spent the 2008 season as the Rhode Island football associate head coach/defensive coordinator, was named the school's 19th head coach, Friday afternoon in the Alumni Room at the Ryan Center.

Trainer returns to Rhode Island after he joined the coaching staff at Bowling Green back in December where he served as the Assistant Head Coach under two-time Division I-AA Coach of the Year Dave Clawson.

During the 2008 season at Rhode Island, Trainer's defensive unit forced URI opponents into 11 fumbles, which ranked in the top five of CAA Football. His defensive scheme also allowed sophomore linebacker Matt Hansen to finish second in the league in total tackles with 111 as he went on to earn All-CAA Football Second Team and Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) All-England honors.

Prior to his stint at Rhode Island, Trainer spent the 2005-07 seasons as head coach of Millersville University, a member of the powerhouse Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC). During his first head coaching stint, Trainer hired and directed a staff of four full-time and four part-time assistants, designed a strength & conditioning program for his student-athletes, implemented an academic support program, and help design and complete both a renovation of the locker room and the varsity weight room.

Before heading to Millersville, Trainer spent eight seasons at CAA-rival Villanova, starting out as linebackers coach before being promoted to assistant coach/defensive coordinator in 2005. During his tenure at Villanova, Trainer helped the Wildcats to two conference championships, two NCAA Playoff appearances - including the national semifinals - two Lambert Cups, two wins over I-A schools (Rutgers and Temple), and five top 20 rankings in the final poll. Additionally, the Wildcats were nationally-ranked for a league-record 35 consecutive weeks and a school-record 12 wins in 1997.

Under Trainer's tutelage, the Wildcats finished No. 1 in the Atlantic 10 in total defense in 2003 and 2004. Villanova finished seventh amongst NCAA Division I-AA schools in scoring defense (16.2 ppg) and 14th nationally in total defense (302 ypg allowed) in 2003, and in 2004, Trainer's defense yielded under 300 yards per game and was second in the A-10 in scoring defense (22.5 ppg). He helped Brian Hulea earn First Team Atlantic 10 honors in 2003 and 2004.

Trainer spent the 1995 and 1996 season as the University of New Haven, where he worked as both linebackers coach and defensive coordinator. Trainer helped the Chargers win 17 games in two seasons and earn a berth in the NCAA Division II playoffs. New Haven finished ranked in the Top 20 in both seasons and his defense also established school records for fewest points allowed, points per game allowed, and turnover margin. Off the field, Trainer monitored the academic progress of the student-athletes and conducted study/tutorial sessions.

He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Temple University in 1990, serving as linebackers coach. Two years later, Trainer took over as linebackers coach and special teams coordinator at Frostburg State University, where he also developed and oversaw the teams in-season lifting program. Following the 1992 season, he joined the coaching staff at Colgate University. While in Hamilton, he coached the outside linebackers and punt and kickoff team while assisting with both game plan and practice participation.

A 1990 graduate of Dickinson College with a degree in English, Trainer earned his masters degree at Temple in 1992 and his M.S. in counseling and human relations from Villanova in 2004.