After nearly four decades with the program, Ray Priore is stepping down as the University of Pennsylvania’s head football coach.
Priore was head coach for 11 years and spent 39 years with the team. He announced Monday he would leave the team.
As head coach, Priore led the Quakers to Ivy League championships in 2015 and 2016 — his first two seasons at the helm. His record as head coach is 58–42 overall and 37–32 in Ivy League play.
“To say coaching at the University of Pennsylvania has been the honor of a lifetime is an understatement,” Priore said in a statement. “Penn has been my second home for 39 years, the last 11 of which I have had the privilege of serving as the head football coach. The end of this season marked my final game, and closing this chapter with a win is something I will carry with me forever. While it’s hard to step away from the program I hold so dear to my heart, I know this is the right time.”
The Quakers won Priore’s final game with a 17-6 defeat over Princeton Saturday at Franklin Field. Penn finished the season with six wins and four losses.
University of Pennsylvania head coach Ray Priore looks on during the game between the Quakers and the Brown Bears on Oct. 30, 2021, at Franklin Field in Philadelphia.
Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Priore began his career at Penn as an assistant linebackers coach in 1987 and also worked as recruiting coordinator (1992-2005), defensive coordinator (1999-2014), and associate head coach (2006-14) before becoming head coach in December 2014.
As head coach, Priore recruited and coached 94 All-Ivy League honorees, 10 All-Americans, three Ivy League Players of the Year and one NFL Draft pick (Justin Watson, 2018). Watson is currently a wide receiver for the Houston Texans. Three additional Quakers signed NFL free-agent contracts after playing at Penn.
He also played an important role in fundraising for improvements at Franklin Field and partnered with the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation to welcome Vhito DeCapria, a young cancer patient, as a team captain in 2015, the announcement says.
“Few individuals have given more of themselves to this program. Ray’s integrity, mentorship, and deep commitment to the student-athlete experience have shaped Penn Football in meaningful and lasting ways,” Penn Director of Athletics and Recreation Alanna Wren said in the announcement. “His engagement in the broader Penn and Philadelphia communities through fundraising efforts, service partnerships, and initiatives like Be The Match reflects the values he brings to every part of his work.”
Penn is launching a national search for the next head coach.
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