CCU’s Joe Moglia to have stadium renamed in his honor at Fordham University
Moglia is just the fourth alumnus to be honored with the Fordham Founder’s Award as well as induction into Fordham’s Hall of Honor and its Athletics Hall of Fame. He is also a member of Fordham Prep’s Hall of Honor and Football Hall of Fame and received an honorary doctorate from the University in 2009.
Moglia serves as CCU’s chair of athletics and executive advisor to the president. He is also chairman of Fundamental Global and Capital Wealth Advisors.
“Coastal Carolina University is thrilled to see Joe Moglia receive this well-deserved honor at his alma mater,” said CCU President Michael T. Benson. “Coach Moglia is extremely proud of his New York City roots and collegiate experience at Fordham. He has had a tremendous impact on college football as a coach and administrator. We are so fortunate to have Coach Moglia as part of our Chanticleer family and appreciate all he continues to do for our University and community.”
When Moglia began at Fordham, he was already a husband and father and completely responsible for his education. He funded those expenses by driving a yellow taxicab and a truck for the United States Postal Service. He also worked in his father’s fruit store, all while carrying a full course load at Rose Hill. Due to his responsibilities, Moglia wasn’t able to be part of the Rams’ football team, but it was at Fordham that he began his football coaching career as an assistant at Fordham Prep.
His coaching experience and the education he received at both the Prep and the University were formative for him, leading him to develop, at age 21, his leadership philosophy – BAM – which defines the principles of a leader: standing on one’s own two feet, taking responsibility for oneself, treating others with dignity and respect, and accepting the consequences of one’s actions.
This philosophy has guided him in his one-of-a-kind career as a winning head college football coach and successful Wall Street executive. It was integral to CCU’s successes while Moglia was the Chanticleers’ head football coach and are principles the team still leans on today.
Following Fordham College, Moglia coached college football for 16 years, winning two Ivy League championships as the defensive coordinator at Dartmouth College and setting national records as a defensive and special teams coach at Lafayette College.
Moglia left coaching in 1984 for a career in finance, first at Merrill Lynch then as CEO of TD Ameritrade, which grew from $700 million to $10 billion in market capitalization during his leadership.
He returned to college coaching in 2009 at the University of Nebraska, where he coached for two seasons before becoming the head coach of the Omaha Nighthawks in the United Football League in 2011.
Prior to the 2012 season, Moglia was named CCU’s head football coach and made an immediate impact. During his six seasons (2012-16, ’18) at the helm of the program, he posted an overall record of 56-22. The Chanticleers went a combined 51-15 during his first five years, including winning four conference championships (2012, 2013, 2014, and 2016*) and qualifying for the NCAA Football Championship Playoffs all five seasons. CCU finished each year ranked in the top 25 and as high as No. 1 in both 2014 and 2015.
CCU won the program’s first-ever postseason game in 2012, won a league-record 12 games and reached the NCAA quarterfinals in 2013, and then matched both those feats in 2014. The Chants were ranked No. 1 in the FCS for eight straight weeks in 2015 and finished 10-2 in 2016, their first year in transition to the FBS level.
“Innovator. Leader. Sportsman. Few men have taken the extraordinary path or had the impact on such a varied landscape within the American fabric than Joe Moglia,” said Matt Hogue, CCU’s vice president for intercollegiate athletics and university recreation. “Most people measure success once they have reached the pinnacle of their chosen profession. Joe has reached that pinnacle in multiple arenas, conquering the tough worlds of high finance and football. Coastal Carolina is appreciative of Fordham acknowledging Joe for his outstanding legacy.”
Moglia was named the Big South Conference Coach of the Year twice and the 2014 AFCA Regional Coach of the Year. He was twice named a finalist for the Liberty Mutual FCS National Coach of the Year and was a three-time Eddie Robinson FCS National Coach of the Year finalist before winning the award as the nation’s best coach in 2015.
During his last 11 years as a college football coach, Moglia was part of eight championship teams and also received the Lombardi Award. He was also inducted into 10 halls of fame, including the Vince Lombardi Hall of Fame.