Priore takes top job with Trinity

Penn's offensive coordinator was named head football coach of the Division III Bantams in Hartford. Chuck Priore, who has served as the Penn football team's offensive coordinator and offensive line coach since 1992, was named head football coach at Trinity College on January 6. While Priore finds the opportunity of becoming a head coach for the Division III school in Hartford, Conn., to be inviting, he admits that it will be difficult to leave Franklin Field. Not only will he be leaving the staff that he has worked with for the past eight years and with whom he has won three Ivy League titles, but he will also be parting ways with several close friends in Philadelphia. Priore has worked with Penn head coach Al Bagnoli for the past 13 years at both Union College and Penn, and he will also be moving away from his brother, Ray, the Quakers' defensive ends coach since 1989. "For the past eight years, I've been happy at Penn," Priore said. "It will be difficult, but sometimes you have to put your career goals ahead of you." Priore's exit marks the second straight year that the Quakers have lost a coordinator. Defensive coordinator Mike Toop left the squad last winter to take the same position at Connecticut. This past season, Bagnoli assumed the duties of defensive coordinator in addition to his head coaching responsibilities. Although Penn has not yet named a replacement for Priore, an announcement of his successor is expected shortly. Whoever takes Priore's spot, however, will have a tremendous amount of talent with which to work. In 1999, sophomore tailback Kris Ryan led the Ivies with 1,197 rushing yards and sophomore quarterback Gavin Hoffman set a Penn single-season record with 2,328 passing yards. The Quakers will also welcome back a strong corps of wide receivers, including All-Ivy honorable mention Rob Milanese. "I've talked to a few of the players, and I'll be interested to see how they do next year," Priore said. At Trinity, Priore will replace Bill Decker, who led the Bantams to a 5-3 record in his one season as interim head coach. Decker will remain on Priore's staff as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. In 1999, Decker, who served as interim coach following the retirement of Don Miller after 32 seasons, returned Trinity to the winning tradition that characterized it for much of its history. In fact, the Bantams only had four losing seasons under Miller. In that time, they posted a record of 174-77-5. While Priore tries to continue Trinity's tradition of success, his former coworkers will be rooting for him. "Obviously, you want to see anyone you work with, not only your brother, be successful," Ray Priore said. "Knowing him and the way he works, I know he'll be successful." And what will Priore remember most about his time at Penn? "The first time I got hit in the head with toast. It was actually a bagel," Priore jokingly replied. But as he moves on to the head coaching ranks, Priore says that he will always remember his three Ivy titles under Bagnoli and the Quakers' 24-game unbeaten streak from 1992 to 1995.

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