Pat Ruley named head football coach at Rowan University

Rowan University is turning to an alumnus to lead its football program.

Pat Ruley, a 2013 graduate, was named the head football coach for the Profs on Wednesday, the school’s director of athletics, Dr. John Giannini, announced.

The Margate native becomes the eighth head coach in team history and takes over for Jay Accorsi, who retired in April after 22 seasons and a program-record 143 wins. Ruley was the associate head coach and defensive coordinator at Susquehanna University for the last six years.

“Being the next head coach of the Rowan football program is a dream come true,” Ruley said in a press release. “My time as a student-athlete at Rowan created some of my strongest relationships and fondest lifelong memories. This place has such a rich tradition and I understand the standards and expectations that the alumni have for the program. Those high expectations are welcomed, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

Rowan went 5-5, including a 4-2 mark in the NJAC, last season.

Giannini had high praise for Ruley following the interview process.

“After spending 40 yeas learning from coaches in all sports and in all levels, I have never had a better discussion than I did getting to know Pat Ruley,” Giannini said. “His views on recruiting, motivations, team building, staff building and philosophy of football are filled with specific plans and passionate belief.”

Ruley, who graduated from Atlantic City High School, was a star linebacker for the Profs during his playing days. He earned All-NJAC honors twice, was named a USA Sports College All-American in 2012 and was selected to play in the National Bowl, a bowl game for senior All-Americans.

Ruley recorded 179 tackles and six sacks in 37 games (26 starts) for Rowan, which went 28-12 and won the NJAC title in 2010.

Getting into the coaching ranks, Ruley was a defensive quality control coach and special teams assistant at Towson in 2013. That team went 13-3 and played in the NCAA FCS Championship.

In 2017, Ruley was hired at Susquehanna as defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach. He was promoted to associate head coach last fall. He worked under head coach Tom Perkovich as the River Hawks won two conference championships and qualified for the playoffs twice during the stretch.

“Pat Ruley is an outstanding hire for Rowan,” Perkovich said. “Pat’s career at highly successful programs has prepared him very well for this position. He has been an integral part of our success here at Susquehanna and will be greatly missed.”

Ruley also has coaching stops at Muhlenberg (2014-15) and Alderson Broaddus (2016).

“My family and I are excited to be back in our home state and we couldn’t be happier to plant our roots back in South Jersey,” Ruley said.

“Our top priority with every decision we make in this program will always be about the student-athlete experience. My goal is to engage the alumni base and the current student body to be present and supportive in the next era of Rowan Football. We want to put a product on the field that will compete week in and week out. I can’t wait to meet this team and get to work!”

Tom McGurk is a regional sports reporter for the Courier-Post, The Daily Journal and Burlington County Times, covering South Jersey sports for over 30 years. If you have a sports story that needs to be told, contact him at (856) 486-2420 or email tmcgurk@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @McGurkSports. Help support local journalism with a digital subscription.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Pat Ruley becomes the eighth head football coach in the history of the Rowan program