Ray Tellier Jr. (born June 10, 1951) is an American college athletics administrator and former college football player and coach. He currently serves as an associate athletics director at Columbia University, a position he has held since 2005. Tellier was the head football coach at the University of Rochester from 1984 to 1988 and at Columbia from 1989 to 2002, compiling a career record of 63–122–3.

Ray Tellier
Current position
TitleAssociate athletic director
TeamColumbia
ConferenceIvy
Biographical details
Born (1951-06-10) June 10, 1951 (age 73)
West Haven, Connecticut, U.S.
Playing career
1969–1972Connecticut
Position(s)Quarterback
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1978–1983Brown (OC)
1984–1988Rochester (NY)
1989–2002Columbia
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
2005–presentColumbia (associate AD)
Head coaching record
Overall63–122–3
Tournaments0–1 (NCAA D-III playoffs)
Accomplishments and honors
Awards
AFCA NCAA Division I-AA Coach of the Year (1996)

Biography

edit

Tellier grew up in West Haven, Connecticut and was a high school football All-American, playing for his father in 1968 at Notre Dame High School of West Haven, CT. He attended the University of Connecticut and lead that team to the Yankee Conference title in 1971.

After graduating from Connecticut in 1973, Tellier entered the coaching ranks, serving as an assistant at Connecticut, Dartmouth College, Wabash College, and Boston University during the 1970s.[1] In 1978, he became offensive coordinator at Brown University under head coach John A. Anderson. Brown was experiencing a revival in football at the time and Tellier's time there was a successful one.

When Anderson resigned in 1983, Tellier moved on to become head coach at University of Rochester, an NCAA Division III school. He turned the moribund program around over the next five years, going 9–2 and making the NCAA Division III playoffs for the first time in school history, in 1987. His overall record at Rochester was 21–26–1.

In 1989 Tellier was hired by Columbia and asked to revive their program (which had just broken a 44-game losing streak) in a similar fashion. His results were mixed. Significant improvement did not begin to be seen until 1994 and in 1996 the team would win eight games for the first time since 1945. But thereafter the team slowly declined again until by 2002 the team was again winless in the Ivy League. Tellier stepped aside at the end of that season and joined the administrative side of the athletic department. In 2005, he was appointed an associate athletics director and continues to serve in that capacity.

Head coaching record

edit
Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs
Rochester Yellowjackets (NCAA Division III independent) (1984–1988)
1984 Rochester 1–8
1985 Rochester 2–7
1986 Rochester 1–7–1
1987 Rochester 9–2 L NCAA Division III First Round
1988 Rochester 8–2
Rochester: 21–26–1
Columbia Lions (Ivy League) (1989–2002)
1989 Columbia 1–9 1–6 8th
1990 Columbia 1–9 1–6 8th
1991 Columbia 1–9 1–6 T–7th
1992 Columbia 3–7 2–5 T–6th
1993 Columbia 2–8 1–6 T–7th
1994 Columbia 5–4–1 3–4 T–4th
1995 Columbia 3–6–1 3–4 5th
1996 Columbia 8–2 5–2 2nd
1997 Columbia 4–6 3–4 T–5th
1998 Columbia 4–6 3–4 T–5th
1999 Columbia 3–7 1–6 T–7th
2000 Columbia 3–7 1–6 T–7th
2001 Columbia 3–7 3–4 T–4th
2002 Columbia 1–9 0–7 8th
Columbia: 42–96–2 28–70
Total: 63–122–3

References

edit
  1. ^ Wallace, William N. (January 18, 1989). "Tellier Named Coach Of Columbia Football". The New York Times. Retrieved October 18, 2015.