Football
Inside Football
Thom Boerman
Head Coach
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After more than two decades as an assistant coach for the Falcons, Thom Boerman was named the head football coach at Bentley University on December 8, 2008. He succeeded Peter Yetten, who retired after the 2008 season following 30 years at the helm.
Boerman, 55, had been an assistant coach with the Falcons since 1986 and had been the university’s Director of Football Operations for the past ten years. He spent most of his tenure as an assistant coach working with the defensive backs before being promoted to defensive coordinator for the 2008 season.
“Thom has done a very good job as the football operations director,” said Bentley athletics director Bob DeFelice upon Boerman's appointment. “This makes for a smooth transition and maintains the stability of the program.”
Bentley has enjoyed a great deal of success during Boerman’s time on the staff, compiling an overall record of 173-61-1, including 154-60-1 in 21 seasons at the varsity level. In those 21 seasons, he’s helped coach a defense that has recorded 30 shutouts and a pass defense that has averaged 19.8 interceptions over the last eight seasons.
“I’m honored to be the head coach at Bentley,” said Boerman. "It’s a great opportunity and I want to make sure I build on the groundwork that Peter laid over the last 30 years. We have great kids and an experienced coaching staff, Bentley is an outstanding university, and it was an easy decision to accept the position.”
Before joining the Bentley coaching staff, Boerman served as an assistant coach on the high school level for six years, including a stint as offensive coordinator at Millbury High School. The U.S. Navy veteran was also a former college football player at Ferris State College in Michigan.
Prior to his appointment as Director of Football Operations in 1998, Boerman was the Manager of Network Services in Bentley’s Computer and Network Services Department.
Boerman resides in Maynard with his wife, Anne, and their two children, Zachary (12) and Rachel (6). He also has a grown daughter, Aubree.
top of pageDarin Colucci
Offensive Coordinator
4th Season
The 2009 season will be the fourth year for Darin Colucci on the Bentley coaching staff and his second as the Falcons' offensive coordinator He previously coached the quarterbacks (2007) and the defensive secondary (2006) during his first two seasons with the Falcons.
Colucci, a managing partner with the law firm of Colucci, Colucci, Marcus and Flavin, was the offensive coordinator at King Philip High School in 2005 after spending three years on Steve Nelson’s staff at Curry College as the QB coach and assistant offensive coordinator.
A native of Pompton Lakes, N.J. where he was a high school All-American quarterback, Colucci went on to a four-year career at Bucknell. After receiving his B.A. in Political Science in 1987, he went on to the Suffolk University Law School, graduating cum laude in 1993.
top of pageScott Boyle
Defensive Coordinator
1st Season
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Taking over the Defensive Coordinator duties from Thom Boerman this year is former Lowell High School head coach Scott Boyle. A 1994 graduate of UMass-Lowell, Boyle is in his first year at Bentley after serving as the wide receivers coach and special teams coordinator at Saint Anselm College in 2008.
During his decade as head coach at Lowell, Boyle amassed a record of 68-37-2 and twice led the Red Raiders to the Merrimack Valley Conference championship (2001, 2006). He was the Lowell Sun Coach of the Year in both 1998 and 2006, and the MVC Coach of the Year in 2006.
In addition, Boyle has been the boys basketball coach at Lowell since 2003, and has two league titles (2007, 2008) to his credit. The Lowell Sun recognized him as its Coach of the Year in both 2007 and 2009, and he’s twice been the MVC Coach of the Year. He was also the Massachusetts Basketball Coaches Association Division I North Coach of the Year in 2007.
Boyle played outside linebacker at UMass-Lowell from 1989-92, and was a starter for three-plus seasons. His playing career included a New England Football Conference championship in 1991 and a 27-3 record during his first three seasons.
A Lowell native, Boyle is a physical education instructor at Lowell High School.
Frank DeFelice
Asst. Offensive Line
1st Season
New to the Bentley staff this fall is Frank DeFelice, whose resume includes 45 years of coaching experience in football and baseball, at the college and high school levels. DeFelice, the brother of Bentley athletics director Bob DeFelice, will help with the offensive line.
Most recently, DeFelice, 69, has been an assistant football and baseball coach at Endicott College. He’s also been a head football coach at Swampscott High and Xaverian Brothers, an assistant at Swampscott and Merrimack College and a volunteer assistant at Boston College. During his 35 years as baseball coach at Swampscott, his teams won 465 games.
Among the athletes who DeFelice has coached are current Buffalo Bills coach Dick Jauron, former Green Bay Packer Tom Toner, Channel 5 sportscaster Mike Lynch, Heisman Trophy winner Doug Flutie, former Buffalo Bill guard Bill Adams, former Detroit Lion Stephen Boyd and longtime NFL linebacker Bill Romanowski. He was inducted into the Massachusetts Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2002.
A 1965 graduate of Boston College where he was a three-year starter in baseball and football, DeFelice resides in Swampscott with his wife Susan. They have three grown children, including Paul, a Bentley graduate and the 1995 Northeast-10 Conference men’s cross country champion.
Adam Griggs
Offensive Line
2nd Season
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Adam Griggs, a three-year starter and four-year letterwinner for the Falcons from 2002-05, returned to his alma mater in 2008, two years after receiving his Bachelor of Science degree in information design and corporate communication, and is in his second year as an offensive line coach.
Griggs, 25, has previously coached at Alvirne High School and Assumption College, where he was the tight ends and assistant offensive line coach in 2007.
As a player for Bentley, Griggs was a two-time All-Northeast-10 center, including first-team in 2004, and a team captain as a senior. In 2004, he also was selected as a Division II All-Northeast Region performer by Daktronics and the Don Hansen Football Gazette. Griggs was also named to the Academic All-Northeast-10 teams in both 2004 and 2005.
Originally from Hudson, N.H., Griggs now resides in Boxboro.
top of pageMike Harrington
Defensive Line
30th Season
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Mike Harrington, who works with the defensive line, is in his 30th year as a member of the Bentley University coaching staff. Most of that time has been spent as defensive coordinator, a position he relinquished prior to the 2008 season.
Before his arrival at Bentley in 1980, the 1972 Boston State graduate spent three years on the Watertown High School staff. Harrington has helped build a defense that has led its division in fewest yards allowed four times since 1990 and posted 27 shutouts since 1990.
Harrington, a phys ed and health teacher who received his Masters degree from UMass-Boston in 1977, resides in Bedford. He and his wife, Susan, have three grown children, Rick, Lindsay and Krista.
top of pageDanny Keohane
Receivers
7th Season
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Entering his seventh season at Bentley, and his first as receivers coach, is lifelong Waltham resident Dan Keohane, who made the move to Bentley after more than a quarter century at Waltham High School. During his first six years with the Falcons, he worked with the linebackers.
Keohane, a 1976 graduate of the University of Maine, served as head coach at Waltham High from 1990-2002. He notched his 100th career victory on Thanksgiving 2002 against Brockton High and finished with a record of 100-31-1 (.761). Before taking over as head coach, he served as an assistant under Paul McGovern and the late Bob Connors for 14 years. His tenure at Waltham included Super Bowl berths in both 1991 and 2001.
Keohane, 56, and his wife, Peggy, have four grown children, Dennis, Katie, Megan and Erin.
Rusty McKinney
Linebackers/Special Teams Coordinator
1st Season
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In his first year as a member of the Bentley University coaching staff is Rusty McKinney, a 2002 graduate of Towson University. His responsibliities include coaching the linebackers and serving as special teams coordinator.
A native of Fairfax County, Va., McKinney played four years of football at Towson. As a senior, he served as team captain and was the recipient of the Doc Minnegan Award as the team MVP. McKinney garnered second-team All-Patriot League honors in both 2000 and 2001.
McKinney moved into college coaching in 2008, serving as a linebacker coach at Saint Anselm College. Since graduating from Towson, he has also served as an assistant speed and agility trainer, working with Olympic gold medalist Dennis Mitchell.
McKinney has a wealth of community service and volunteer work, volunteering at a number of track meets and road races, as well as at the John Hopkins Children's Hospital and Villa Maria School for Troubled Children.
McKinney, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from Towson, also earned an Associates in Culinary Arts from Johnson and Wales in 2004. He now residees in Somerville.
Dave Smith
Quarterbacks
3rd Season
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After three years as a backup quarterback and wide receiver for the Falcons, Dave Smith is in his third season as a member of the Bentley coaching staff. The Kansas City, Mo. native worked with the quarterbacks in 2007, was a receivers coach in 2008 and is back with the QBs this fall.
Smith, 24, came to Bentley in 2004 after a year at William Jewell College. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in finance in May 2008 and will receive his MBA, with a concentration in finance and management, this fall.
Smith now resides in Brighton.
Sean Walsh
Running Backs
3rd Season
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Sean Walsh, a Bentley assistant during the 2001 and 2002 seasons, returned to the Falcon coaching staffin the spring of 2009. His responsibilities include coaching the running backs, and overseeing operations, academics and travel.
Walsh, a 2008 graduate of Florida International University, has been a student assistant coach at the University of Miami (2005, 2006) and was an academic liaison to the football and baseball programs during the 2007-08 academic year. While at Miami, he coached in both the 2005 Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl and the 2006 MPC Computers Bowl.
Walsh's resume also includes five years as an assistant football coach at Attleboro High School. He was also a two-time Attleboro Sun-Chronicle Boy's Tennis Coach of the Year while at Attleboro.
Walsh, 35, graduated Summa Cum Laude from Florida International in 2008 and was inducted into the Phi Betta Kappa Honor Society. An Attleboro native, he now resides in Waltham and is engaged to Melissa Tonra.
Chris Young
Asst. Defensive Line
2nd Season
In his second year as an assistant defensive line coach is former St. Lawrence University defensive lineman Chris Young.
Young, a native of Amherst, was a four-year starter on the defensive line for the Saints. He began his coaching career at Winchester High School, where he was a defensive assistant from 2006-07.
Young, 25, is also an assistant teacher at the Gifford School in Weston. He currently resides in Waltham.
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