Greg Gattuso leaving UAlbany football after 11 years

ALBANY, NY (NEWS10) -- After 11 years leading the UAlbany football program, Greg Gattuso is stepping down as the Head Coach of the Great Danes to return to his alma mater, Penn State, where he played defensive line from 1981-1983. Gattuso will be joining the Nittany Lions as a defensive analyst and defensive line coach.

"It's 2 alma mater's that I've gotten to play at and coach at," said Gattuso. "I did it at my high school, probably still the best 3 years of our lives. It's very special, I can't wait to get there."

Gattuso became just the second head coach in UAlbany football history in 2014, succeeding the great Bob Ford. A 2-time CAA Coach of the Year and FCS Coach of the Year in 2023, Gattuso has gained a 54-69 record as the leader of the program. Gattuso took the Great Danes to 2 FCS playoff appearances, including a run to the semifinals in 2023, the best finish in program history. In his final season at the helm, the Great Danes went 4-8, earning a win in Gattuso's final game beating Hampton 41-34 in the season finale.

The focus for the athletic department now turns to finding Gattuso's replacement. The next head coach of the Great Danes will be just the third in the program's history. This will be the first head coaching hire for the football team for UAlbany Director of Athletics, Mark Benson, who is looking for the program to continue its recent success moving forward.

"Most importantly for the right here and now, is just to honor coach and all that he and his staff have done moving forward," said Benson. "But as I mentioned, he's really poised us for success and we're going to move forward, I think trying to keep as much of this entire team together as possible is really important. Continuity is usually a good thing and give ourselves the best chance to compete in the spring and in the fall, and we'll get into that process shortly."

Benson also mentioned that he has spoken with both the current staff and the team. The Great Danes are scheduled to open their season on August 30th when they visit Iowa.