This article originally appeared in The Fordham Ram in January 2018.
Joe Conlin was introduced as Fordham Football head coach at a Thursday “meet-and-greet” in advance of the 2018 season.
Among the dignitaries on hand to introduce Fordham’s newest head coach were Athletic Director David Roach and Fr. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of the university.
In a speech given at the event, Conlin noted that he wants to build Fordham to be the best program in the Patriot League and a consistently successful football school. He also said he wants to make sure the team is less outcome-oriented and more focused on a “defined process” of becoming successful and being a better team.
Conlin and the Rams hope to improve off of last year’s 4-7 showing. After last season, head coach Andrew Breiner resigned and joined former Fordham head coach and university alumnus Joe Moorhead on his staff at Mississippi State. This is Conlin’s first college head coaching job, as he has spent the last four seasons as the offensive coordinator at Yale.
When asked whether or not he would call plays offensively, Conlin replied that he was unsure but he also said that the offense would have “(his) stamp on it” and that he would be “involved”. Conlin led Yale’s offense to 12th in FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) in total yards per game last season, one that culminated in Yale winning its first outright Ivy League title since 1980.
Conlin also said that his work is starting immediately, as a team meeting is scheduled on either Monday night or Tuesday morning to meet the team and hit the ground running in preparation for next season. At Thursday’s press conference, Roach praised Conlin’s “X-factor” for being a successful coach, and McShane said that Conlin was “the right man for Fordham”.