Robert J. Surace (pronounced /səˈreɪs/;[1] born April 25, 1968) is an American college football coach. He is currently the head football coach at Princeton University, a position he had held since the 2010 season. Surace was the head football coach at Western Connecticut State University from 2000 to 2001. He had worked as an assistant coach in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the National Football League (NFL).
 | |
| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Head coach |
| Team | Princeton |
| Conference | Ivy League |
| Record | 80–55 |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | April 25, 1968 Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1987–1989 | Princeton |
| Position(s) | Center |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1990–1992 | Springfield (RB) |
| 1993 | Maine Maritime Academy (OL) |
| 1994–1995 | Shreveport Pirates (assistant) |
| 1995–1996 | RPI (OL) |
| 1996–1999 | Western Connecticut (OC) |
| 2000–2001 | Western Connecticut |
| 2002–2003 | Cincinnati Bengals (off. asst.) |
| 2004–2009 | Cincinnati Bengals (asst. OL) |
| 2010–present | Princeton |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 98–58 |
| Bowls | 1–0 |
| Tournaments | 1–1 (NCAA D-III playoffs) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 1 FFC (2001) 4 Ivy (2013, 2016, 2018, 2021) | |
Early life
editSurace was born on April 25, 1968, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, grew up in Millville, New Jersey and attended Millville Senior High School, where his father, Tony Surace, was a longtime football and baseball coach.[2][3][4] He attended Princeton University, where he played on the football team from 1987 to 1989 as a center. In 1989, the Ivy League named Surace to the All-Ivy team. He graduated in 1990.[5] Surace's wife Lisa was a former soccer player at Princeton, and practiced psychology in Cincinnati. The couple have a son, A.J., and a daughter, Allison.[2] His brother Brian was the offensive coordinator at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.[3]
Coaching career
editSurace began coaching in 1990 as the running backs coach at Springfield College. While there, he earned a Master of Arts degree in sports management.[2] In 1993, he was the offensive line coach at the Maine Maritime Academy.[6] In 1994, he was an assistant coach under Forrest Gregg for the Shreveport Pirates of the Canadian Football League.[2] In 1995, he was the offensive line coach at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. In 1999, he became the offensive coordinator at Western Connecticut State University.[7] In 2000, Surace was promoted to head coach. In his second season, he led the Colonials to the Freedom Football Conference championship and the second round of the NCAA Division III Championship playoffs.[2] His record at Western Connecticut State was 18–3.[8] Surace then joined the staff of the Cincinnati Bengals in the National Football League. From 2002 to 2003, he was an offensive staff assistant, and from 2004 to 2009, an assistant offensive line coach.[2]
Princeton hired Surace in December 2009, which made him the first alumnus as coach since Bob Casciola in 1977.[9] In his first season, Princeton finished with a 1–9 record.[10]
Head coaching record
edit| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | STATS# | Coaches° | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western Connecticut Colonials (Freedom Football Conference) (2000–2001) | |||||||||
| 2000 | Western Connecticut | 10–1 | 5–1 | 2nd | W Northeast | ||||
| 2001 | Western Connecticut | 8–2 | 5–1 | T–1st | L NCAA Division III Second Round | ||||
| Western Connecticut: | 18–3 | 10–2 | |||||||
| Princeton Tigers (Ivy League) (2010–present) | |||||||||
| 2010 | Princeton | 1–9 | 0–7 | 8th | |||||
| 2011 | Princeton | 1–9 | 1–6 | T–7th | |||||
| 2012 | Princeton | 5–5 | 4–3 | T–3rd | |||||
| 2013 | Princeton | 8–2 | 6–1 | T–1st | |||||
| 2014 | Princeton | 5–5 | 4–3 | 4th | |||||
| 2015 | Princeton | 5–5 | 2–5 | 6th | |||||
| 2016 | Princeton | 8–2 | 6–1 | T–1st | |||||
| 2017 | Princeton | 5–5 | 2–5 | 7th | |||||
| 2018 | Princeton | 10–0 | 7–0 | 1st | 11 | 9 | |||
| 2019 | Princeton | 8–2 | 5–2 | 3rd | |||||
| 2020–21 | No team—COVID-19 | ||||||||
| 2021 | Princeton | 9–1 | 6–1 | T–1st | 24 | 21 | |||
| 2022 | Princeton | 8–2 | 5–2 | T–2nd | |||||
| 2023 | Princeton | 5–5 | 4–3 | 4th | |||||
| 2024 | Princeton | 2–3 | 1–1 | ||||||
| Princeton: | 80–55 | 53–40 | |||||||
| Total: | 98–58 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
References
edit- ^ Football Friday with Bob Surace: Week 3 vs. Columbia. YouTube. October 4, 2019. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f Bob Surace Bio Archived March 14, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, Princeton University, retrieved January 1, 2011.
- ^ a b Millville native Bob Surace finds dream coaching job at Princeton, The Press of Atlantic City, October 13, 2010.
- ^ Gargan, Guy. "Millville graduate Bob Surace named Princeton football coach", The Press of Atlantic City, December 24, 2009. Accessed November 13, 2018. "Millville High School graduate Bob Surace has been hired as the football coach at his alma mater, Princeton University, the school announced Wednesday."
- ^ 2008 Princeton Football Media Guide, p. 138, Princeton University, 2008.
- ^ Marchitello fills big void for MMA Sophomore back tough to stop, The Bangor Daily News, November 10, 1993.
- ^ Bob Surace, Assistant Offensive Line Coach, Cincinnati Bengals, Spoke.com, retrieved January 1, 2011.
- ^ Princeton Hires Bengals Assistant Surace as Head Football Coach, Bloomberg, December 23, 2009.
- ^ Surace replaces Hughes at Princeton, ESPN, December 23, 2009.
- ^ Blaze's Patton picks Princeton Archived December 27, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, The Daily News Journal, December 23, 2010.