Sport(s) Football Name Jay Civetti Positions Lineman | Record 10–30 1997–2000 Trinity (CT) | |
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Born May 11, 1979 (age 45) ( 1979-05-11 ) 2001–2002 Milton HS (MA) (assistant) Conference New England Small College Athletic Conference | ||
Jumbo Football Coach Jay Civetti at September 13 Press Luncheon
Jay P. Civetti, Jr. (born May 11, 1979) is an American football coach and former player. He is the head football coach at Tufts University, a position he has held since the 2011 season.
Contents
- Jumbo Football Coach Jay Civetti at September 13 Press Luncheon
- Pre Tufts career
- Tufts career
- References
Pre-Tufts career
Civetti is a native of Wellesley, Massachusetts and attended Belmont Hill School in Belmont, Massachusetts. Having being recruited by legendary Division III football coach Don Miller, Civetti played college football as an offensive lineman at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut from 1997 to 2000.
After graduating from Trinity in 2001 with an English degree, Civetti briefly pursued a career in information technology consulting. In less than a year, however, Civetti left the IT firm and accepted a job coaching football and teaching special education at Milton High School in Milton, Massachusetts. In 2003, Civetti joined the staff of Boston College football coach Tom O'Brien as a graduate assistant. Between 2003 and 2006, Civetti served as an assistant under O'Brien and earned a Master's degree in education from the school in 2006. While at Boston Collge, Civetti helped coach a future NFL Most Valuable Player, quarterback Matt Ryan. Civetti followed O'Brien to North Carolina State University in 2007, where he served as a wide receivers coach for the team.
Tufts career
Civetti joined the Tufts football program in 2008 as offensive coordinator and was promoted to head coach in January 2011, replacing longtime head coach Bill Samko. The Jumbos went 0–8 in each of his first three seasons as head coach.
On September 20, 2014, Tufts beat the Hamilton Continentals, 24–17, for the football team's first win since September 2010 and Civetti's first win as head coach. "That's what this program does... it fights regardless," Civetti told the team after the game. "We've seen things, been places, and done things that not the average man can handle. You are uncommon. You are special. You are unique. You are Jumbo Pride." The team finished that year at 4–4, including an undefeated record at home.
On October 26, 2015, Tufts beat the Williams Ephs in an away game for the first time since 1981. After the game, a video of Civetti dancing and celebrating in the locker room – capped by the Tufts coach doing the splits – briefly went viral. In 2016, Civetti coached the Jumbos to a 7–1 record and second-place finish in the NESCAC, finishing with the program's best regular season showing since 1998.
While at Tufts, Civetti has worked with Team IMPACT to help provide support for children suffering from potentially terminal illnesses.