Dan DiCenzo
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Head coach |
| Team | Wesleyan |
| Conference | NESCAC |
| Record | 63–25 |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | c. 1979 (age 46–47) |
| Alma mater | Williams College (2001) |
| Playing career | |
| Football | |
| 1997–2000 | Williams |
| Wrestling | |
| 1997–2000 | Williams |
| Position | Strong safety (football) |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| 2001–2002 | Trinity (CT) (ST/OLB) |
| 2003 | Brown (assistant OLB) |
| 2004–2009 | Williams (DB/RC) |
| 2010–2014 | Wesleyan (assoc. HC/DC) |
| 2015–present | Wesleyan |
| Wrestling | |
| 2004–2006 | Williams (assistant) |
| 2007–2009 | Williams |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 63–25 (football) 50–16–1 (wrestling) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 2 NESCAC (2024, 2025) | |
| Awards | |
| Football First-team All-NESCAC (2000) | |
Daniel A. DiCenzo (born c. 1979) is an American college football coach. He is the head football coach for Wesleyan University, a position he has held since 2015. He also coached for Trinity (CT), Brown, and Williams. He played college football for Wiliams as a strong safety.
DiCenzo attended Williams and played college football and wrestling. He was a strong safety for the Ephs football team.[1] He was named as a First-team All-New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) in his senior year.[2] He was also a four-year starter and two-year captain for the wrestling team.[3] He graduated from Williams in 2001 with a Bachelor of Arts in history with a concentration in economics and political science.[3]
Coaching career
In 2001, DiCenzo was hired as the special teams coordinator and outside linebackers for Trinity (CT) under head coach Chuck Priore.[3] In DiCenzo's final season in 2002, he was a part of the 7–1 NESCAC championship team.[4]
In 2003, DiCenzo was hired as the assistant outside linebackers coach for Division I-AA Brown alongside Paul Frisone under head coach Phil Estes.[3][2] In his lone season under Estes he helped guide the team to a 5–5 record.[5]
In 2004, DiCenzo was hired as the defensive backs coach and recruiting coordinator for his alma mater, Williams, under first-year head coach Mike Whalen.[2][6] In six seasons as an assistant coach for Williams he helped lead the team to a 38–10 record and an undefeated 8–0 season in 2006.[7] He helped coach defensive back Jon Poppe, who went on to become the head football coach for Union (NY) and Columbia, to First-team All-NESCAC honors.[8]
During DiCenzo's stint with Williams he was an assistant wrestling coach from 2004 to 2006.[2] In 2004 and 2006, he was named New England Collegiate Conference Wrestling Association (NECCWA) Assistant Coach of the Year.[2][9] In 2007, he was promoted to head wrestling coach and maintained the position until he was hired by Wesleyan in 2010.[10] In three seasons he amassed an overall record of 50–16–1.[10]
In 2010, DiCenzo followed Whalen when he was hired as the head football coach for Wesleyan.[11] DiCenzo was hired as Whalen's associate head coach and defensive coordinator.[11][12] In five seasons as an assistant coach he helped lead the team to a 26–14 record including a 7–1 record in 2013 alongside a NESCAC championship.[13]
After Whalen resigned following the 2014 season to focus his efforts fully on his athletic director duties, DiCenzo was named head football coach.[14][15] In his first season as head coach he led the team to a 5–3 record which finished tied-fourth in the NESCAC.[16] His best win of his first season was against his alma mater where the team won 27–7 and were winning 27–0 until the final 71 second of the game.[17] In the following season his team improved to a 6–2 record which finished tied for third in the division.[18] Two of his six victories came against Williams and Amherst of the Little Three.[18] His only losses on the season came to Tufts in the first week of the season and Trinity (CT) which came in the last week of the season.[18] Wesleyan went on to finish 6–3 and 5–4 in 2017 and 2018 respectively before having the best record of DiCenzo's tenure as they finished 8–1 in 2019.[19][20][21] Their only loss on the season came to eventual-conference champions Middlebury. 2019 also marked the first time his team was able to beat Trinity (CT).[21] On July 7, 2020, Wesleyan announced they would cancel fall sports, including football, for the 2020 fall season due to COVID-19.[22] The team returned for the 2021 season. From 2021 to 2023, DiCenzo led the Cardinals to three-consecutive 6–3 season which all finished third or tied for third.[23][24][25][26] In 2024, he led the Cardinals to their first outright championship in school history and their first conference title since 2013 when they were co-champions.[27][28]
DiCenzo's 56 wins are good enough for fourth all-time in Wesleyan football history behind Norm Daniels (76), Frank Hauser (68), and Bill MacDermott (66).[29]