Frank Forcucci joins the New Haven coaching staff for the 2021 season and will lead the linebackers. An alum of the University of New Haven, Class of 1987, Forcucci was a standout for legendary head coach Frank “Porky” Vieira on the Chargers baseball team where he helped lead the Blue and Gold to four NCAA Division II Northeast Region Championships and appearances in the NCAA Division II World Series.
A seasoned coach, Forcucci brings a wealth of collegiate coaching experience to New Haven, including as the head coach of Becker College in Worcester, Mass. for the last five seasons. During his tenure at the helm of the Hawks, his teams were consistently ranked among the top of the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC), including as the No. 1 team in pass defense and total defense in 2019. He also mentored the 2017 CCC Defensive Player of the Year in linebacker Michael Bianco.
Prior to taking over the helm of the Hawks, Becker served as the Associate Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator at Becker, starting that roll in 2012. The previous 13 seasons, Forcucci spent at the Division I level, including where he broke into the coaching ranks as the Director of Football Operations at UMass in 1999. He would eventually take over the role of Defensive Line Coach and coached the outside linebackers.
The 1999 season began a run of five seasons in Amherst, Mass. before he relocated to the Nutmeg State to take over as the Defensive Coordinator at Central Connecticut State University in 2004, helping lead the Blue Devils to back-to-back Northeast-10 Conference Championships in 2004 and 2005. In his two years at CCSU, the Blue Devil defense was ranked No. 1 in multiple categories in the Northeast Conference, while linebacker Brian Sullivan led the NEC in sacks and tackles for loss in 2005.
Following his second season at CCSU, Forcucci took over as the Defensive Coordinator at Fordham University, following his head coach at CCSU Tom Masella. Together, the pair led the Rams to the 2007 Patriot League Championship and an appearance in the NCAA Playoffs. In his first season at Fordham, 2006, Forcucci coached linebacker Marcus Taylor to the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year title, while his 2007 and 2008 teams led the league in tackles for loss and the 2008 team ranked as the No. 1 defense in the conference.
After a three season run at Fordham, Forcucci headed to Boston, Mass. where he was the Defensive Coordinator at Northeastern in 2009 before returning to New Britain, Conn. as the linebackers coach at CCSU in 2010, again helping propel the Blue Devils to another Northeast-10 Championship.
His career came full circle yet again when he returned to UMass in 2011 as the Defensive Coordinator before taking the reigns at Becker College as the Associate head Coach in 2012 before his promotion to Head Coach in 2016.
As an undergrad at New Haven, Forcucci not only helped lead the Chargers to four NCAA Division II World Series appearances, but he was named an All-American in 1987. That same year, while serving as a captain, he was named to the All-New England Team after earning UNH Baseball’s Most Valuable honors in 2016. Forcucci graduated with a Bachelor of Science in financial accounting.
