ABC6 Sports has learned that URI will name Joe Trainer to replace Darren Rizzi as the new Rams football coach.

Trainer spent one year under Rizzi as the Rams defensive coordinator and associate head coach. He left Rhody this month to return to Bowling Green where he had spent 8-years.

Trainer will be named the Rams 19th head football coach at an 11:00 am news conference tomorrow in Kingston.

Here is Trainer's bio from the Bowling Green website.


Joe Trainer begins his first season at Bowling Green State University. Trainer will serve as the team's assistant head coach/co-defensive coordinator/linebacker coach for the Falcons.

Trainer spent the 2008 season at Rhode Island where he was the associate head coach/defensive coordinator for the Rams, but brings eight years of experience as a defensive coordinator and another three years as a head coach to BGSU.

Prior to his arrival at Rhode Island, Trainer was a three year head coach at Millersville University and before that he spent five seasons as the defensive coordinator at Villanova, where the Wildcats had the best defense in the A-10 in 2003 and 2004, which ranked 14th nationally each year.

During his first head coaching stint, Trainer hired and directed a staff of four full-time and four part-time assistants, designed a strength & conditioning program for his student-athletes, implemented an academic support program, and help design and complete both a renovation of the locker room and the varsity weight room. In three years at Millersville, Trainer had one third place finish and two fourth place finishes in the PSAC East.

Prior to his appointment at Millersville, Trainer spent eight seasons at CAA-rival Villanova, starting out as linebackers coach before being promoted to assistant coach/defensive coordinator in 2000. During his tenure at Villanova, Trainer helped the Wildcats to two conference championships, two NCAA Playoff appearances - including the national semifinals - two Lambert Cups, two wins over I-A schools (Rutgers and Temple), and five top 20 rankings in the final poll. Additionally, the Wildcats were nationally-ranked for a league-record 35 consecutive weeks and a school-record 12 wins in 1997.

Under Trainer's tutelage, the Wildcats finished No. 1 in the Atlantic 10 in total defense in 2003 and 2004. Villanova finished seventh amongst NCAA Division I-AA schools in scoring defense (16.2 ppg) and 14th nationally in total defense (302 ypg allowed) in 2003, and in 2004, Trainer's defense yielded under 300 yards per game and was second in the A-10 in scoring defense (22.5 ppg). He helped Brian Hulea earn First Team Atlantic 10 honors in 2003 and 2004.

Trainer spent the 1995 and 1996 season as the University of New Haven, where he worked as both linebackers coach and defensive coordinator. Trainer helped the Chargers win 17 games in two seasons and earn a berth in the NCAA Division II playoffs. New Haven finished ranked in the Top 20 in both seasons and his defense also established school records for fewest points allowed, points per game allowed, and turnover margin. Off the field, Trainer monitored the academic progress of the student-athletes and conducted study/tutorial sessions.

He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Temple University in 1990, serving as linebackers coach. Two years later, Trainer took over as linebackers coach and special teams coordinator at Frostburg State University, where he also developed and oversaw the teams in-season lifting program. Following the 1992 season, he joined the coaching staff at Colgate University. While in Hamilton, he coached the outside linebackers and special teams.

A 1990 graduate of Dickinson College with a degree in English, Trainer earned his masters degree at Temple in 1992 and his M.S. in counseling and human relations from Villanova in 2004.