Nichols College Men's Football

Don Lemieux was announced as the next head coach of the Nichols men's and women's golf programs on July 29th, 2025.  Lemieux, a native of Thompson, Connecticut, makes his collegiate debut with Nichols College, bringing with him a wealth of coaching experience across multiple sports and age levels. His longstanding dedication to athlete development and team leadership positions him well to make a strong impact at the collegiate level. Lemieux graduated from Mitchell College in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in sport management. Throughout that time, he was also a four-sport athlete for the Mariners, participating in soccer, basketball, baseball, and golf. After graduation, he made his first stop in minor league baseball as a groundskeeper, working with notable teams like the Worcester Tornadoes, Bridgeport Bluefish, Long Island Ducks. His groundskeeping work then brought him to the Pawtucket Red Sox in 2012 as a facilities manager, where he was part of their eventual International League Championship campaign. In 2021, Lemieux graduated from the MPTC Plymouth Police Academy and currently serves as a police officer and drone pilot for the Sutton Police Department. He lives locally with his wife Lisa, a 2004 Nichols graduate and former softball and field hockey coach, and their four kids.  

Vinny Marino has been named the 15th Head Coach of the Nichols College Football Team, on November 28, 2023.  In his second season in 2025, Marino and the Bison finished the season with a 2-8 overall record, including a 2-5 mark against CNE opponents. Throughout the season, Marino helped coach several standout players, who in-turn were recognized for their efforts both regionally and nationally. Graduate student Jack Morvan was one of those recipients with D3Football.com Team of the Week honors, as was senior Ian Snow (CNE Offensive Player of the Week) and Evan Toth (CNE Rookie of the Week). That recognition also boosted Nichols' lineup of postseason honors recipients, with nine total Bison taking All-Conference honors, including First Team selections Jack Morvan (Wide Receiver) and Nick Foynes (Special Teams). The Bison, as a team, also finished the season as the CNE leader in passing yards (3,003).  Marino wrapped up his first season as Head Coach of the Football Team. The Bison finished with a 3-7 record overall. Marino earned his first collegiate win on September 14, with a 63-12 win over Maine Maritime. Marino's first season saw the three Bison earn Conference of New England (CNE) All-Conference honors, including two First Team selections in Jack Morvan and Derrick Revolus. The Bison posted the third best offense, averaging 33.3 points per game and led the conference in offensive efficiency. Morvan was also named to the 2024 New England Football Writers Association All-New England Team. During his two seasons as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Bison (2022-23), Marino elevated the Bison offense to back-to-back top rankings in the Commonwealth Coast Conference, which included a conference tie for 1st in total touchdowns scored and a school record for touchdowns in a single season (48). In 2022 the Bison averaged 27.5 points per game and in 2023 that average grew to 35.6 points per game, compared to the 12.2 points per game in the season prior to his arrival. Additionally in 2023, Nichols ranked 29th in total offense among the 238 Division III programs. Marino spent the 2019 campaign at the offensive coordinator at Brown University, where he helped orchestrate a massive turnaround of the Bears offense, which averaged 30.0 ppg and 454.5 yards of total offense per game, compared to 2018 (the year prior to his arrival) when the squad averaged 14.3 ppg and 285.5 yards of total offense per game. Meanwhile, the run game improved to 153.4 yards per game, up from 65.1 yards the previous season. Brown quarterback EJ Perry – the 2021 Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year who attended the NFL Combine in Indianapolis earlier this month – led the nation total offense (367.8 ypg) in 2019, set an Ivy League record for total offense in a season (3,678 yards), was named First Team All-Ivy, and was a finalist for the Bushnell Cup (Ivy Offensive Player of the Year). Four other members of the offense – Jakob Prall (WR), Livingstone Harriott (WR), Emerson Logie (TE), and Chad Broome-Webster (OL) – received All-Ivy honors in 2019. Marino's first season with Bryant in 2017 was a success as the Bulldogs put together one of the best offensive seasons in program history, finishing first in the Northeast Conference (NEC) in total offense. The wide receivers thrived under Marino's watchful eyes and in the new Bryant offense, establishing program-records for both receptions and receiving yards in a single season. Three student-athletes posted 45+ catches on the season. Overall, the 2017 Bulldogs offense averaged nearly 100 more yards per game with Marino serving as the OC. Bryant put up 30.3 points per game and broke the NEC record for passing yards per game in a single season. The following season in 2018, his offensive unit continued to light up the scoreboard, averaging 32.5 points per game, while averaging 411.1 total yards per game. Both totals were good for second in the NEC. Marino was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Davidson in 2016 and spent the prior two years at Boston College. During his time with the Eagles, Marino served as the recruiting coordinator, the assistant director of player personnel and quality control for the offense special teams. Marino was part of a coaching staff that helped guide the Eagles to seven wins and an appearance in the 2014 New Era Pinstripe Bowl. Before arriving in Chestnut Hill, Marino spent two years as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Georgetown, and six years as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Columbia. With the Hoyas, he helped the Hoyas lead the Patriot League in red zone scoring and fewest turnovers in 2013. Marino also excelled during his time at Columbia, coaching five All-Ivy League quarterbacks in his six seasons. He coached quarterback Craig Hormann, who signed a free agent contract with the Cleveland Browns. Marino also recruited All-America tight end Andrew Kennedy and wide receiver Austin Knowlin, the all-time leading receiver in Columbia football history. Marino has also made stops at UConn (2002-05, Recruiting Coordinator/Assistant Coach), Rhode Island (2000-01, Running Backs/Special Teams), Richmond (1999, Wide Receivers/Quarterbacks), Holy Cross (1996-98, Offensive Coordinator; 1998, Quarterbacks; 1996-97, Running Backs/Special Teams), Western Carolina (1993-95, Graduate Assistant) and Bowdoin (1992, Wide Receivers/Returns). At UConn, Marino helped the Huskies win the 2004 Motor City Bowl and was named one of the top 10 football recruiters in the Big East by Rivals.com. Marino helped guide URI to one of its best seasons in program history in 2001, as the Rams finished 8-3 and ranked No. 19 in the nation. At Richmond, Marino coached wide receivers Muneer Monroe (sixth round draft pick of the Denver Broncos) and Dwaune Jones (Cleveland Browns free agent). Marino graduated from UConn in 1992 with a bachelor’s degree in economics and earned a master’s degree in physical education from Western Carolina in 1996.   

Christian Minicozzi is a dedicated football coach with over three years of experience at Tantasqua Regional High School in Fiskdale, Massachusetts. At TRHS, he coached Receivers, Defensive Backs, and Special Teams, also served as the Head Coach of the JV football team. Born in West Islip, New York, he began his collegiate football journey at Anna Maria College in Paxton, Massachusetts, before transferring to Worcester State, where he continued to excel as a Defensive Back.  

Dominic Marino joined the Bison Football Coaching Staff as the Wide Receivers Coach in July 2024.  He coached at Western High School in Las Vegas, Nevada for 7 years where he ended as the Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach.     Marino earned a B.S. in Sport Management at Springfield College in 2011.  He played football there for 4 years as a Corner-Back and Punt Returner.  

Antonio “Tony” Facente ’25 enters the 2025-26 academic year as the Men’s and Women’s Golf Graduate Assistant Coach for Nichols College as he pursues a dual master's degree program in Business Administration and Organizational Leadership. Facente earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in December 2024 as a General Business major with concentrations in Marketing, Sport Management, and Entrepreneurship. He joins the athletics staff after playing on the Men’s Golf team for four years during his undergraduate studies. During his time as an undergraduate student, Facente held various leadership roles such as a Resident Assistant, a member of both the Emerging Leaders Program and Nichols Senior Advisory Council, and a Bison Pantry volunteer. Facente is originally from Longmeadow, Massachusetts.  

Tony Brinson has been announced as the next Defensive Coordinator for the Nichols College Football Team.  Brinson comes to Nichols after serving 2 years at FBS level UMASS under legendary coach Don Brown as the Senior Defensive Analyst working with the linebackers.   Before his time in Amherst, Brinson completed a second tour of duty at FCS Wagner College where he served as the Assistant Head Coach for the Football team and predominantly coached the linebackers. During his second time as Wagner, Brinson produced a two-time NEC Defensive Player of the Year, a Buck Buchanan Nominee and an FCS All-American. He coached NE Patriots linebacker Titus Leo who played linebacker under Brinson in 2018 and then as a hybrid rush in 2021/2022 before he was drafted in the 6th round to the Indianapolis Colts.  Prior to his second stint at Wagner, Brinson served as an Assistant Coach and Defensive Coordinator at Morehead State University. During his time at Morehead State, he produced the leading player in the PFL for sacks, TFLS and forced fumbles. His team ranked 29th in FCS for passing yardage allowed and ranked 25th in the country for fumble recoveries. Brinson produced four All-Conference PFL Players and two All-Academic PFL selections in 2019. At Morehead State in 2019, Brinson helped the Eagles to their best record since 2015, including a 5-5 mark against FCS opponents.  Before joining Morehead State, Brinson served as the Assistant Head Coach, Defensive Coordinator, Recruiting Coordinator and Special Teams Coordinator during his first stint with Wagner College. In 8 years, Brinson produced 14 NFL/CFL players, 34 All-Conference honorees, two FCS All-Americans, a pair of two-time NEC and ECAC Defensive Players of the Year, two Buck Buchanan Finalists, two Team MVPs and Defensive MVPS, one East-West Shrine Bowl recipient and one Hula Bowl recipient.  Brinson helped develop Carolina Panther's linebacker Cam Gill who emerged as the NEC’s all-time sack leader and won Super Bowl LV with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Under Brinson, Gill was one of three All-NEC performers, along with linebacker Santoni Graham and defensive lineman Chris Williams, on a 2018 defensive unit that led the NCAA in sacks and ranked in the top 25 nationally in takeaways. A 2018 AP third-Team All-American and a candidate for the Buck Buchanan Award, Gill earned three NEC Defensive Player of the Week Awards in 2018, while Chicago Bear Chris Williams signed a future/reserves contract with the Indianapolis Colts following the 2020 NFL season and won Super Bowl LVIII with the Kansas City Chiefs.  In 2017, Brinson's defense ranked No. 1 in the NEC in both sacks and TFLs, while ranking No. 2 in rushing defense, which came on the heels of a 2016 season that saw the Seahawks rank in the top-25 nationally in sacks, TFLs, rushing defense, and scoring defense, while ranking 26th in total defense.  Under Brinson’s guidance the 2016 Seahawks produced three All-NEC Performers as Defensive End Jordan Baskerville and Safety Tim Hayes earned First Team All-League honors while Linebacker Quinton Hampton earned Second Team All-League honors. Together, the trio helped Wagner rank No. 1 in Red Zone Defense, No. 3 in Total Defense (327.8 yd avg) and Rushing Defense (99.3 yd avg) in the NEC.   One of Brinson's former pupils is veteran NFL linebacker Julian Stanford, a 2011 First-Team All-NEC performer and NFL veteran. A retired member of the Carolina Panthers, Stanford previously played for the New York Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars, Detroit Lions, and Buffalo Bills.    Two of Stanford's teammates, also coached by Brinson, inked NFL free agent deals following the 2011 season in safety Jeremiah Brown and DE Quintin Anderson and were in training camps with the Jaguars and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, respectively. In 2017, linebacker Najee Harris was a free agent signee with the Oakland Raiders.  Brinson has also helped develop several players who have gone on to compete in the CFL. C.O. Prime, a 2013 free agent signee of the NFL Indianapolis Colts, went on to enjoy a four-year career in his native Canada as a member of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. In 2018, Mathieu Loiselle signed a free agent CFL contract.  In 2014, the Seahawk defensive unit, spearheaded by its fine linebacker play, led the NEC in a host of categories while also ranking in the NCAA Top 10 in three major categories – Rushing Defense, No. 2 (83.1), Total Defense, No. 6 (281.3) and Scoring Defense, No. 10 (18.0). Thanks in large part to the relentless brand of defense displayed by the Green & White defense, the 2014 Seahawks went 7-4 overall and 5-1 in league, sharing the NEC title with Sacred Heart. This marked Wagner's second NEC title in three years as the Seahawks won the 2012 championship en route to an appearance in the Division I NCAA Playoffs. Brinson helped develop senior Max Wassel into a First-Team All-NEC performer whose 81 tackles, a 7.5 average per game, ranked No. 6 in the NEC. In addition, his 21 tackles for loss (for minus 61 yards) ranked No. 2 in the NEC while his 52 solo tackles ranked No. 3 in the league.   In Wagner's historic run to the 2012 NEC title and FCS Playoffs, aforementioned senior linebacker C.O. Prime recorded a team-best 98 tackles and earned second-team All-NEC honors. Also In 2012, Wagner’s starting outside linebacker tandem of seniors Theodore Clohessy and Mike Milone turned in stellar campaigns despite not possession the physical stature of most top FCS linebackers.    Much of the groundwork that led to the 2012 NEC title was laid in 2011 under Brinson’s direction as defensive coordinator. That season, Wagner ranked No. 1 in the NEC in three different categories: rushing defense (141.1 yards per game), red zone defense (71.8%) and takeaways (29).  Brinson spent time at Columbia University as the Assistant Football Coach. During his time at Columbia University, he produced a First Team All-Ivy, a Second Team All-Ivy, a Walter Camp All-American, an ECAC FCS All-Star, an Associated Press Second Team selection, a Collegeperformance.com Tight End of the Year, the leader in FCS Stats (receptions, yards, TDs) for all tight ends and led the Ivy League in TD catches.    Prior to Columbia, he served as an Assistant Coach in 2004-2008 at his alma mater the University of Rhode Island where he coached the Defensive Line for 2 years and the Secondary for 2 years.   Before URI, he was an Assistant Coach, Recruiting Coordinator, Defensive Coordinator, and Special Teams Coordinator for Bryant University where he helped start their football program from scratch. In 1999-2003. Brinson also spent time at Kean University where he worked mainly with Linebackers and Wide Receivers in 1995-1998  Brinson earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Fisheries/Marine Science from the University of Rhode Island in 1995 while also earning a Master of Arts in Education from Saint Peters College in 2002. 

Andrew Nee was named an Assistant Football Coach and  will oversee the Offensive Line and be the Run Game Coordinator for the 2025 season on “The Hill” Nee helped coach the Bison from 2022-25 as an undergraduate assistant, coaching the Tight Ends. Nee graduated from Nichols in 2025 with a BABS in Sport Management. Nee came to Nichols in 2022 after playing one year at Butler Community College from 2020-21 and then in 2021 served as a Student Assistant Offensive Line Coach at Butler Community College.  

Robert Grammer joins the Bison Football Staff for the 2025 season as an assistant coach for tight ends.  Grammer joins the Bison following six years at Assumption University (NCAA DII) as an Assistant Coach, working primarily with the team's running backs. Prior to his time in Worcester, Grammer worked with the Westfield State University program as an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, leading two different players to becoming the conference leaders in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns, and one individual to setting the program record for rushing touchdowns.  Grammer is no stranger to "The Hill", having previously served as an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach with the Bison from 2011-13. After working with Nichols, Grammer jumped over to Southbridge High School as an Offensive Consultant and Assistant Coach. Grammer's wealth of experience continues from there, with additional stints at Bryant Univeristy, Becker College, Central Methodist University, and Wesleyan University, as well as four seasons at the University of New Haven from 1990-93, where he also played.   Grammer holds a Law Enforcement degree from New Haven, and earned his Master's in Education in 2006 from Central Methodst University. 

Jonathan Conte '23, MBA '25 begins his first season as the Defensive Assistant and the Recruiting Coordinator in 2025. Conte oversees Special Teams and the Safeties for the Nichols College Football Team. Conte a 2023 graduate of Nichols College served as the Graduate Assistant for the last two seasons, before earning Masters of Business Adminstration for Nichols College in the Spring of 2025. Conte oversaw recruiting efforts for the Bison while a Graduate Assistant, and will continue in that role this season well.  Conte will also serve as the Head Coach for the Junior Varsity Football Team.

T'Juan (T'J) Fullilove has been named the Running Backs Coach of the Nichols College Football team on August 1, 2024.   Fullilove spent his last season with Bradford High School Red Devils as the Running Backs Coach. Fullilove graduated from Carroll University in 2023 with a Bachelors degree in Information Technology. He competed for the Pioneers as a member of their Track & Field and Basketball program. He also served a the manager as the football team. He also was selected to the NCAA Division III Immersion Student Program.  Fullilove will be pursuing his Master's in Organizational Leadership at Nichols.

Frank Leonard joins the Bison as the Senior Offensive Assistant working with the Offensive Line and Tight Ends in the 2025 season. Leonard comes to "The Hill", after a three year stretch with Penn State University as an Associate Offensive Line Coach with the Nittany Lions. In 2021, he worked at Colorado State as a Senior Analyst before working his first stint at Penn State in 2020. From 2013-19, he worked with the Eagles of Boston College as an Assistant Head Coach and working with the Tight Ends. Leonard spent time in Temple in 2012 as a Tight End Coach.  Leonard made stops in the NFL with the New England Patriots from 2004 to 2006 and then with the St. Louis Rams in 2009 to 2011. Leonard spent 1994 to 2003 with the University of Richmond working in a variety of roles including the Offensive Line and Running Backs. 1990-93, he worked with the Huskies of the University of Connecticut as an Outside Line Backers coach. In 1987 to 1989, he was the Offensive Coordinator and Offensive Lines Coach at Western Connecticut State.  A graduate of Central Connecticut State, he earned a B.A. in Physical Education in 1981 before earning his M.A. in Eductaion and Administration in 1983.