By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher
New Hampshire Wildcats head coach Sean McDonnell has announced his retirement on Wednesday. He led the program for 23 seasons.
The retirement is effective immediately.
“It’s time,” McDonnell said. “It’s time for a new face, new ideas and a new way of doing things around here. I can’t begin to say thank you enough for the opportunities the University of New Hampshire has given to me: as a student, as an assistant coach and then as its head football coach. This has been the honor of a lifetime.
“I’ll forever be grateful to the fans, the administration, the alumni, my coaches and most importantly, my players and my family.”
During his tenure, he went 157-104 at the school. He was also 100-72 within conference play.
McDonnell guided the Wildcats to a 3-8 record in 2021. After winning their first three games of the season, New Hampshire ended their season on an eight-game losing streak.
His final game with the team was on November 20th. It was a 33-20 loss to the Maine Black Bears at Wildcat Stadium in Durham, New Hampshire.
“Words alone cannot capture what Sean McDonnell has meant to this University, the athletics department and the sport of football in the state of New Hampshire,” Director of Athletics Marty Scarano said. “Legacy, legendary, transformative and visionary are words frequently used to describe great people and their accomplishments, but often fall well short of the truth. I’m here to tell you these terms truly embody Sean and just begin to skim the surface of his magnitude.
“His record is indeed legendary, his deeds have been transformative and he possessed a vision for playing football the right way that played out every Saturday, week after week, season after season. Most of all, though, he is a man of enormous integrity, honesty and virtue. His role-modeling and mentoring thousands of young men will not be replaced; we can only hope to take what he has given us and carry it forward.”
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