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| Susquehanna athletics photo |
Rowan has named alumnus Pat Ruley as the eighth head football coach in school history, it was announced by director of athletics John Giannini. Ruley returns to Glassboro after spending the past six years as the associate head coach and defensive coordinator at Susquehanna University.
A 2013 graduate of Rowan, Ruley succeeds Jay Accorsi, who retired after 22 seasons as head coach of the Profs, recording the most victories (143) in the program's history.
"After spending 40 years learning from coaches in all sports and in all levels, I have never had a better discussion than I did getting to know Pat Ruley. His views on recruiting, motivation, team building, staff building, and philosophy of football are filled with specific plans and passionate belief," said Giannini. "He was a major force in making Susquehanna a Top 10 football program. I am beyond excited for what he can accomplish at Rowan, in one of the most successful athletic departments in the nation. He knows the potential of Rowan well as an alumnus with an All-American, all-conference and NJAC football championship pedigree. Welcome home, coach Ruley!"
"Being the next head coach of the Rowan football program is a dream come true. My time as a student-athlete at Rowan created some of my strongest friendships and fondest lifelong memories. This place has such a rich tradition and I understand the standards and expectations that the alumni have for the program. Those high expectations are welcomed, and I wouldn't want it any other way," said Ruley, a native of Margate, New Jersey, just southwest of Atlantic City.
"I want to thank Dr. John Giannini for our conversation during my interview. I left that meeting feeling excited about the direction and vision for not only the football program, but the entire athletic department moving forward. My family and I are excited to be back in our home state and we couldn't be happier to plant our roots back in South Jersey," said the coach.
"Our top priority with every decision we make in this program will always be about the student-athlete experience. My goal is to engage the alumni base and the current student body to be present and supportive in the next era of Rowan football. We want to put a product on the field that will compete week in and week out. I can't wait to meet this team and get to work!"
Ruley arrived at Susquehanna in 2017 as defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach and was promoted to associate head coach in 2023. He worked with the teams under head coach Tom Perkovich which compiled an overall record of 55-11. The River Hawks won two conference championships (Landmark, Centennial) and established themselves as a power in the East Region, qualifying for the NCAA playoffs twice and being consistently ranked in the AFCA and D3football.com Top 25 polls. Susquehanna also posted four wins in the annual Centennial-MAC Bowl series during that time.
At Susquehanna, he coached four All-Americans, 11 D3football.com All-Region picks and 35 All-Centennial Conference selections, including the 2023 Landmark Conference Defensive Player of the Year, Keith Green III.
He is responsible for molding the River Hawks' defensive unit into a force, as the "Wild Dogs" routinely ranked among the top of the NCAA Division III defensive statistics. In 2023, SU led the Landmark Conference in every major defensive category and ranked seventh in the nation in total defense (231.5 ypg). In 2019, Susquehanna's defense ranked among the nation's leaders in seven different categories, becoming the only defense in any NCAA Division to be ranked in the Top 10 nationally in those categories.
Susquehanna put together back-to-back campaigns in 2022 and 2023 in which it went 10-0 during the regular season, won the conference titles and hosted one NCAA playoff game each season. The River Hawks reached the Top 10 for the first time in history during the 2023 campaign, peaking at No. 9 in D3football.com's poll, and ending the year ranked 14th in the nation.
Prior to joining the Susquehanna staff, Ruley was the special teams coordinator and linebackers coach at Alderson Broaddus University in 2016. He coached a pair of all-conference selections at linebacker and punter, as part of the squad that won the Great Midwest Athletic Conference crown and had the second-ranked defense in NCAA Division II.
Ruley spent the 2014 and 2015 seasons at Muhlenberg, serving as the outside linebackers coach. The Mules boasted the No. 4 rushing defense in the country in 2014 and in 2015, reached the NCAA Division III playoffs and earned selection to a Centennial-MAC Bowl.
He began his coaching career in 2013 at Division I FCS Towson as a defensive quality control coach and special teams assistant, helping the Tigers go 13-3 and make a trip to the NCAA FCS championship game.
Ruley was a standout linebacker for the Profs from 2009 to 2012, earning All-NJAC honors twice. He was named a USA Sports College All-American in 2012 and was selected to play that year in the National Bowl, a bowl game for senior All-Americans. Ruley totaled 179 tackles and six sacks in 37 games (26 starts) and was a contributor on Rowan's teams that went 28-12, won the 2010 NJAC title and made a trip to the NCAA Playoffs in 2012.
Ruley, who graduated from Atlantic City High School, received his bachelor's degree in English from Rowan in 2013.