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PHOTO GALLERYThe winningest coach in New Haven football history, Mark Whipple guided the Chargers from 1988 to 1993. In 1988 Whipple was named the fifth head coach in Charger football history, his first career head coaching position. Five years later, he took the Chargers to their first NCAA postseason and finished the season with program-best 12 wins.
In his first season as head coach, Whipple guided UNH to a 7-3 record. The Chargers opened the ’88 campaign with three wins before defeating Central Florida and Southern Connecticut in their fourth consecutive winning season. Along with 15 All-New England selections, offensive lineman Rob Thompson was named Whipple’s first All-American student-athlete following the season.
One year later, New Haven posted an 8-2 record for the third time in a four year span. The coach led New Haven to seven-straight wins in the middle of the season. In ’89, the Chargers would fall just short of receiving their first NCAA playoff bid and reached as high as No. 12 in the NCAA Division II National poll. New Haven’s passing attack was ranked among the nation’s leaders finishing 23rd with 211 passing yards per game.
Whipple began the 90’s with another 7-3 season in which the Chargers once again came close to their first NCAA postseason appearance. Quarterback Jay McLucas was named an All-American and the New England Offensive Player of the Year, while another 13 players earned All-New England honors under Whipple’s guidance. Whipple’s passing offense led all of NCAA Division II with 335.4 yards per game.
The Chargers and Whipple returned to the national spotlight behind running back Roger Graham in 1992. After recording a 14-13 victory over UCONN to open the season, the ’92 Chargers rolled to 10-straight victories and advanced to the program’s first-ever NCAA postseason. In the opening playoff game, New Haven marched past West Chester 38-26. The team then defeated Ferris State 35-13 at the Yale Bowl before falling in the semifinals to eventual national champions Jacksonville State. That season, Whipple called the top-ranked offense in all of college football; New Haven scored a nation-leading 50.5 points per game and averaged 587.7 total yards per game.
The success of another two All-American’s from 1992 carried into the following season. The Chargers went undefeated through the 1993 regular season and headed to the NCAA’s for the second consecutive season. New Haven won by impressive fashion in the opening round game, but would fall by just three points in the NCAA quarterfinals. Whipple was recognized as the All-New England Division II-III Coach of the Year, while running back Roger Graham was named the 1993 Harlon Hill Trophy winner, Division II’s version of the Heisman Trophy.
In total, Whipple amassed a 48-17 record in six seasons at the helm of the Chargers. He coached nine All-Americans and nearly 75 All-New England honorees. Since leaving UNH, Coach Whipple has continued to have great success at the collegiate and professional ranks.
