Coastal Carolina names Joe Moglia head football coach
“I am excited to have a man like Joe Moglia lead our football team,” DeCenzo said. “His proven success on and off the football field will be a great asset to Coastal Carolina University, its football program and our community. His passion for the game and its players, his knowledge of the game, and his strong desire to succeed are perfectly aligned with the mission of our athletics program. He has all the ingredients that will take our football program to waters uncharted.”
“There are consistent words of praise from those whom I have talked to about Joe such as ‘successful,’ ‘leadership,’ ‘detail-oriented’ and ‘organized,’” Yurachek said. “Most importantly, it was made clear he has the skill set to be a great head coach with a passion for molding student-athletes into men. I am excited for each of our student-athletes who will learn from the life and professional experiences that Joe will share with them as our head football coach.”
Moglia, who will begin his 20th year as a coach in the 2012 season, is also Chairman of the Board for TD Ameritrade, a position he has held since 2008.
“I cannot imagine anything more rewarding in helping 18-22-year-olds become men through football,” Moglia said. “To have that opportunity at Coastal Carolina University is truly an honor. I am grateful to Dr. DeCenzo and Hunter for this opportunity.”
Moglia, who coached the “Stars Team” at the 2011 Eastham Energy College All-Star Game, spent this past fall coaching the Nighthawks in the third year of the UFL’s existence. Moglia’s team led the UFL in passing offense, sacks, tackles-for-loss, punt returns and blocked kicks. Also, the Nighthawks produced the 2011 UFL Defensive Player of the Year, Stuart Schweigert. Moglia joined an elite roster of UFL head coaches including Dennis Green, Jim Fassel, Marty Schottenheimer and Jerry Glanville.
From 2009-10 Moglia served as Executive Advisor to the Head Football Coach at the University of Nebraska in preparation for achieving his original lifelong pursuit, being a collegiate head football coach. In his two seasons at Nebraska, the Cornhuskers won two Big 12 North championships and played in the Holiday Bowl each season. In 2010, Cornhusker football student-athletes elected Moglia to receive Nebraska’s prestigious U.S. Grant Sharp Admiral’s Trophy for Leadership and Service.
Moglia has been inducted into two high school halls of fame and the Omaha Business Hall of Fame while receiving the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, Columbus Citizens Foundation Leadership Award, National Italian American Foundation Special Achievement Award in Business, American Institute for Stuttering Lifetime Achievement Award and National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame’s Man of the Year.
Moglia is the only person to publish books on both football and investing, including “The Key to Winning Football: The Perimeter Attack Offense” (1981) and “Coach Yourself to Financial Success: Winning the Investment Game” (2005), while contributing to numerous national football coaching journals. He has also been a keynote speaker at the 2011 American Football Coaches Association (“It’s About Being a Leader”) and 2010 National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (“Leadership in a 24/7 Stress Filled Environment”).
Moglia served as TD Ameritrade’s Chief Executive Officer for seven years (2001-08). Under his leadership, the company had a 500 percent return on investment, and the firm’s market cap increased from $700 million to $10 billion. Prior to joining TD Ameritrade, Moglia spent 17 years working with Merrill Lynch (1984-2001).
Before entering the business world, Moglia was a football coach for 16 years. He won two Ivy League championships as defensive coordinator at Dartmouth (1982-83), set defensive and special teams records at Lafayette (1978-80) and turned around two high school programs.
He has served on the board of several not-for-profit and educational organizations, including STRATCOM Consultation Committee, Creighton University, Fordham Preparatory School, National Italian American Foundation, Omaha Chamber of Commerce and Boy Scouts of America.
Moglia graduated from Fordham University with a bachelor’s degree in economics in 1971, earning Dean’s List recognition and acceptance into Omicron Delta Epsilon (National Economic Honor Society). He went on to receive his Master of Science degree in education from the University of Delaware in 1974 and holds honorary doctorate degrees from Fordham University (Humane Letters) and Bellevue University (Commerce).
Moglia is married to the former Amy Harvey. He has six children: Kelly, Kim, Kara, Kevin, Johnny and Jeff.
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING:
“Joe came to me a couple of years ago and spoke to me of his passion for coaching. He obviously was very successful, but expressed to me that the most meaningful time of his life was when he was a college coach. Joe wanted to be a part of our program and really used that time to get up to speed on the collegiate game. Joe is a great leader, a great communicator and has great work ethic. He also is very organized and detail oriented. He spoke several times to our student-athletes and was a great influence on them while being an excellent motivator as well. Most importantly, Joe Moglia knows football and will put together a great staff.”
- Tom Osborne, University of Nebraska Director of Athletics
“Joe Moglia can coach. He is 100 percent dedicated to the game, his players and coaches. He really wants to succeed and his biggest asset is his leadership ability. Joe can coach football at any level, any place.”
- Tom Olivadotti, 21-year NFL coach
“Joe was a fantastic head coach of the Nighthawks. I have no doubt he will be incredibly successful leading the Coastal Carolina program to new heights. We are excited for him and the University.
-Rick Mueller, Omaha Nighthawks General Manager