Sara Holland is a Sports Anchor/Reporter at News 4. Follow her on Twitter @SaraaHolland and see more of her work here.
First-year UB football coach Pete Lembo acclimating well to life in the 716
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BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) -- A new face will be at the helm of the Buffalo Bulls football team when the 2024 season begins later this month.
Pete Lembo was named the 28th head coach of the program back in January, and he brings over three decades of coaching experience to the role, with previous head coaching stints at Lehigh, Elon, and Ball State. Most recently, he served as the special teams coordinator at South Carolina.
Building this type of resume wasn’t easy for Lembo, and it took many years of perseverance.
"My resume is, I guess, getting a little bit longer as the years go on," Lembo said. "It was a challenging start to my coaching career in the '90s. There weren't many jobs, especially for an ex-Division III offensive lineman. But with like anything else in life if you're patient, you're persistent and you're passionate about what you do, sometimes good things happen."
All the years Lembo has spent coaching teams across the country have taught him valuable lessons both on and off the field.
"These last eight years have really been great for me because I had the chance to return as an assistant coach, work with different programs, coordinate special teams, and learn a lot," Lembo said. "I feel like this is the best I’ve been as a coach in a 33-year career."
It can sometimes be difficult to learn more about a coach, especially if you're watching from the sidelines or even on TV -- but the first-year coach was open about his life outside of football when speaking with WIVB News 4.
Lembo discussed wing spots, what he’s done so far since moving to the 716 and what he hopes to do when the football season ends. He’s still looking for a favorite wing spot, but he’s tried most of the popular places in the Northtowns such as Wing Nutz, Bar-Bill and Elmo’s.
Although he hasn’t decided on his go-to wing spot, he did stress his love for one restaurant in Western New York: East Amherst’s very own Falletas. Lembo said that due to his Italian heritage, he loves Italian food, and this place has been his favorite since moving to the area.
UB football begins its season on Aug. 29 when they host Lafayette. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.