Football

Dan DiCenzo Named Associate Head Football Coach & Defensive Coordinator at Wesleyan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Monday, April 19, 2010)

DAN DiCENZO NAMED ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH & DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR IN FOOTBALL
(Former Football Assistant and Head Wrestling Coach at Williams Joins Wesleyan Staff for 2010-11)

      Dan DiCenzo, formerly the head wrestling coach and assistant football coach at Williams College, has joined the Wesleyan University coaching staff as associate head football coach and defensive coordinator, Athletics Director John Biddiscombe announced today. DiCenzo will serve under recently named head football coach Mike Whalen, a 1983 Wesleyan graduate who left Williams after six years in charge of the Ephs gridmen to take over the reins of the football Cardinals for the 2010 season.
     DiCenzo, a 2001 graduate of Williams College where he excelled in football and wrestling, coached at Williams for six seasons including three as head wrestling coach. Earning all-NESCAC football honors as well as all-New England honors on the mats as an undergraduate, DiCenzo served as a team captain of both sports and received the Purple Key Award for 2000-01 as the top male athlete at the college. Before returning to Williams for the 2004 football campaign, DiCenzo had coaching stints at both Trinity College, where he working on his Master's degree, and Brown University.
     As head wrestling coach at Williams, DiCenzo led the Ephs to national prominance over the last several seasons, culminating in both the New England Wrestling Association (NEWA) Duals team championship and a NEWA tournament title in 2009-10. The NEWA tournament title was his second in a row. His team was ranked 15th nationally heading into the NCAA Division III Championships this past March. His squad finished in a tie for 23rd nationally during the NCAAs. Over his three seasons in charge of the Eph matmen, DiCenzo amassed a cumulative dual-match record of 50-16-1.
     A part of the Williams football staff throughout the head coaching career of Mike Whalen, DiCenzo was on the defensive side of the ball, handling defensive backs. Nine of the players under his tutelage earned all-NESCAC recognition. Over his six seasons with the Ephs, DiCenzo was part of a team that posted a 38-10 record including a 6-0 mark against Wesleyan and a 4-2 record vs. Amherst while winning four outright Little Three titles.
     "I have known Dan as both a student-athlete at Williams and a professional as a member of my coaching staff," said Coach Whalen. "He is an outstanding football coach and relentless recruiter and will also emerge as a leader within our athletic department. His outstanding accomplishments with the Williams wrestling team were remarkable. I am excited to see him take his coaching career to the next level as he now focuses the bulk of his energy toward the Wesleyan football program."
     In addition to his football coaching assignment, DiCenzo will assist Wesleyan head wrestling coach Drew Black in his duties as the athletic department's strength and conditioning coach.