Fairfield, CT - Athletic Director C. Donald Cook announced today that Bill Lacey has resigned as Sacred Heart University head football coach, effective immediately.
Lacey guided the Pioneer football team to a combined 13-8 record the last two seasons. Lacey joined the Sacred Heart staff as offensive coordinator in 2001 and helped the Pioneers to a perfect 11-0 record during the 2002 season. SHU captured the Northeast Conference title that season and was named the NCAA 1-AA Mid-Major National Champions after defeating Duquesne University in the ECAC Bowl. During his time on the Sacred Heart staff, the Pioneers compiled a 34-9 record.
“Coach Lacey indicated to me that he wants to take his coaching career in a different direction,” Cook says. “He inherited a program that had won a national championship, and then led us to two more winning seasons. We are thankful for his service the last four years and wish him the best in the future.”
While the athletic department conducts a search for a new head coach, the Pioneers will turn to former head coach Gary Reho to handle the day-to-day operations of the program. Reho became the program’s first head coach in 1991, and coached the team through 1996. He stepped down as head coach when the program made the transition to Division 1-AA, but stayed on the staff as an assistant coach through 2002.
Reho, who is the Director of the William H. Pitt Center, will be the football administrative consultant through the spring football game, and supervise the implementation of the off-season training program for the players until a new head coach is hired.
“Gary was an obvious choice for us,” says Cook. “He has years of experience in managing a college football program and putting him in this position will allow the assistant coaches to concentrate on coaching, not the day-to-day administrative tasks.”
The search for a new coach will begin immediately. Cook indicates he hopes to have it concluded quickly. “Preparation and planning needs to be done for pre-season camp in August and we have to insure that we stay on top of the recruiting process,” he says. “I have complete faith that Gary and the assistant coaches can keep us pointed in the right direction in the meantime.”