Joseph Purzycki (born February 20, 1947) is a former American football coach. He served as the head football coach at Delaware State University in Dover, Delaware from 1981 to 1984 and James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia from 1985 to 1990, compiling a career college football coaching record of 55–51–3. Purzycki played college football at the University of Delaware and was later an assistant coach at his alma mater, where he learned the Wing T offense from head coach Tubby Raymond.[1] When Purzycki was hired as the head football coach at Delaware State in January 1981, he became the first white man appointed to that role for the historically black school. Many students and players had expected Delaware State to hire Billy Joe, an African American who had played professionally in the American Football League (AFL) and was then an assistant coach for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). Some students and players protested Purzycki's hiring.[2]
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 20, 1947 |
| Playing career | |
| 1967–1970 | Delaware |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1971 | Kearny HS (NJ) (assistant) |
| 1972–1974 | Woodbridge HS (DE) |
| 1975–1977 | Caesar Rodney HS (DE) |
| 1978–1980 | Delaware (DB) |
| 1981–1984 | Delaware State |
| 1985–1990 | James Madison |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 55–51–3 (college) |
| Tournaments | 0–1 (NCAA D-I-AA playoffs) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Awards | |
| MEAC Coach of the Year (1983) | |
Purzycki was inducted into the Delaware Sports Hall of Fame in 2005.[3]
Head coaching record edit
College edit
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | NCAA# | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware State Hornets (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) (1981–1984) | |||||||||
| 1981 | Delaware State | 2–9 | 1–4 | 5th | |||||
| 1982 | Delaware State | 4–7 | 2–3 | T–4th | |||||
| 1983 | Delaware State | 7–3–1 | 3–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 1984 | Delaware State | 8–2 | 3–1 | 2nd | |||||
| Delaware State: | 21–21–1 | 9–9 | |||||||
| James Madison Dukes (NCAA Division I-AA independent) (1985–1990) | |||||||||
| 1985 | James Madison | 5–6 | |||||||
| 1986 | James Madison | 5–5–1 | |||||||
| 1987 | James Madison | 9–3 | L NCAA Division I-AA First Round | 8 | |||||
| 1988 | James Madison | 5–6 | |||||||
| 1989 | James Madison | 5–4–1 | |||||||
| 1990 | James Madison | 5–6 | |||||||
| James Madison: | 34–30–2 | ||||||||
| Total: | 55–51–3 | ||||||||
References edit
- ^ Ireland, Jack (January 23, 1981). "Purzycki sure he'll produce at DelState". The Morning News. Wilmington, Delaware. p. B7. Retrieved July 29, 2021 – via Newspapers.com
.
- ^ Ireland, Jack (January 23, 1981). "Protest develops against Purzycki". The Morning News. Wilmington, Delaware. p. B7. Retrieved July 29, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame in Wilmington, Delaware - 2005". www.desports.org.
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