UNH Football coach Sean McDonnell has announced his retirement. (File photo)

DURHAM – Forty-five years after he first stepped foot on campus, 30 seasons from when he took on a coaching role at his alma mater and nearly 23 years since he took the reins from his Hall of Fame mentor, University of New Hampshire head football coach Sean McDonnell announced Wednesday that it’s time for the ‘next man up’ with his retirement, 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.”

McDonnell, who was twice named the Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year (2005, 2014), departs UNH as the CAA’s active leader in conference victories (100), which is No. 3 on the league’s all-time leaderboard. His 157 career wins rank second in UNH history behind his former head coach and National Football Foundation College Football Hall of Famer Bill Bowes (175 wins), whom he succeeded April 22, 1999, to become the 19th head coach in UNH history.

The Wildcats rose to national prominence through a remarkable 14-year run of NCAA playoff berths and 14 playoff victories from 2004-17. Highlighting that stretch of excellence were three conference championships (2005, 2012, 2014), back-to-back national semifinal game appearances (2013-14), an incredible stretch of 162 consecutive weeks ranked in the STATS FCS Top 25 (Sept. 6, 2004 – Oct. 12, 2015) and wins in the final 15 games played at Cowell Stadium, which served as the team’s home for 79 seasons prior to the opening of Wildcat Stadium in 2016.

Newsletter