Football

Trainer At Rhode Island - By The Numbers
23 - Academic All-Conference Players
10 - All-Conference Players
3 - New England All-Stars
1 - All-American

Upon his arrival at the University of Rhode Island campus on February 27, 2009 a humbled yet engetic Joe Trainer promised Rhody football fans that he would make his players accountable in every phase of the game and not cut corners.

During the 2010 campaign Trainer's promise began to take shape as he led the Rams to five wins - their most since 2001. In addition, Trainer guided the Rams to wins over three top 25 teams, including 2009 national champion Villanova. Following the year, seven URI players were named to the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) all-conference team, while Trainer was named the league's Coach of the Year.

Among Rhody's seven all-conference selections, defensive end Victor Adesanya and kick returner Travis Hurd were each selected All-CAA First Team. In addition, Trainer's defense unit ranked third against the run in CAA Football, limiting opponents to just 126.4 yards per game and gained a league-best 13 fumbles. On the offensive side of the ball, the Rams featured CAA Football's fifth-best rushing attack (146.4). The 2010 season also saw Rhody defeat in-state rival Brown 27-24 in overtime as the Rams re-claimed the Governor's Cup Trophy.

Now in his third season as head coach and fourth overall at URI, Trainer a veteran of more than 20 years of college football coaching experience, has molded the Rams into a Colonial Athletic Association contender for 2011. Off the field, Trainer places a strong emphasis on academics and community service. This past season in the classroom, 13 Rhode Island players earned Academic All-Conference, including defensive lineman Matt Rae, who was named ESPN The Magazine/CoSida District II All-Academic First Team for the second-consecutive season. Rae also was one of 52 players from the Football Championship Subdivision, who were named to the Athletic Directors Association Academic All-Star Team. Since 2009, 22 of Trainer's players have earned Academic All-CAA honors a number that ranks third in the league during that period.

In the community, Trainer has played an instrumental role in the team's involvement with the National Marrow Society. Since his first season as head coach in 2009, Trainer and the Rhody Football team have played host to an annual Bone Marrow Drive. The event, which takes place every spring on the URI campus, has not only raised awareness on the importance of donating Bone Marrow, but it has also seen the addition of over 700 new individuals to the national registery. Prior to the Third Annual Rhody Football Bone Marrow Drive, junior center and Rhode Island native Matt Greenhalgh donated his bone marrow to an individual in need in an effort to save his life.

In his first season as head coach, Trainer and his staff laid the ground work for future success. In 2009, he oversaw a defensive unit that ranked second in the CAA in turnover margin and gained a league-best 15 fumbles and picked off 11 passes. Offensively, the Rhody made tremendous strides down the stretch as it averaged 352.3 total yards of offense per game in its final three contests. Following the year, Rhody had three individuals earn CAA all-conference honors, including linebacker Rob Damon, who also earned Sports Network All-America accolades.

Trainer was introduced as URI's 19th head coach in school history. He returned to Rhode Island after he joined the coaching staff at Bowling Green in December 2008 where he served as the Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator under two-time Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Coach of the Year Dave Clawson.

"I cannot tell you how honored and humbled I am to be the head coach at the University of Rhode Island," Trainer said at his introductory press conference. "It is truly an honor that I am going to embrace and I am going to make everyone associated with this program proud of the way we conduct ourselves from the head coach all the way down to the team manager.

"Coming back here in a different capacity as a head coach I believe we are going to do great things on the field and above all else we are going to do it the right way," Trainer explained. "We are not going to cut corners and we are going to make our kids accountable in every phase."

During the 2008 season, Trainer's defensive unit forced URI opponents into 11 fumbles, which ranked in the top five of CAA Football. His defensive scheme also allowed linebacker Matt Hansen to finish second in the league in total tackles with 111, as he went on to earn All-CAA Football Second Team and Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) All-New England honors.

Prior to his stint at Rhode Island, Trainer spent three seasons as head coach of Millersville University, a member of the powerhouse Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC), from 2005-2007. Before heading to Millersville, Trainer spent eight seasons at CAA-rival Villanova, starting out as linebackers coach before being promoted to defensive coordinator in 2005. During his tenure at Villanova, Trainer helped the Wildcats to two conference championships, two NCAA Playoff appearances (1997 and 2004) - including the national semifinals - two Lambert Cups, two wins over I-A schools (Rutgers and Temple), and five top 20 rankings in the final poll. Additionally, the Wildcats were nationally-ranked for a league-record 35 consecutive weeks and posted a then school-record 12 wins in 1997.

Trainer's defensive scheme put the Wildcats as No. 1 in the Atlantic 10 in total defense in 2003 and 2004. Villanova finished seventh amongst NCAA Division I-AA schools in scoring defense (16.2 ppg) and 14th nationally in total defense (302 ypg allowed) in 2003. The following year in 2004, Trainer's defense yielded under 300 yards per game and was second in the A-10 in scoring defense (22.5 ppg). Trainer was also instrumental in helping Brian Hulea earn First Team Atlantic 10 honors in 2003 and 2004.

Trainer spent the 1995 and 1996 season at the University of New Haven, where he worked as both linebackers coach and defensive coordinator. In his two seasons at New Haven, Trainer helped the Chargers win 17 games and earn a berth in the NCAA Division II playoffs. Under his tutelage New Haven finished ranked in the Top 20 in both seasons and his defense also established school records for fewest points allowed, points per game allowed, and turnover margin. Off the field, Trainer served as the academic coordinator.

The Roslyn, Pa., native began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Temple University in 1990. Two years later, Trainer took over as linebackers coach and special teams coordinator at Frostburg State University, where he also developed and oversaw the teams in-season strength and conditioning program. Following the 1992 season, he joined the coaching staff at Colgate University. While in Hamilton, he coached the outside linebackers and punt and kickoff teams.

Trainer received his undergraduate degree in English from Dickinson College in 1990. He then went on to earn his masters degree from Temple University in 1992 and his M.S. in counseling and human relations from Villanova in 2004. Trainer and his wife Moreen are the proud parents of Liam (11), Dillon (9) and Keira (7). The Trainers reside in Saunderstown.

Updated Sept. 22, 2011