William Paterson University of New Jersey Men's Football

Williams works with the teams safeties and is responsible for WPs recruiting in Burlington, Camden, Essex, Mercer, Monmouth and Ocean Counties. Williams has worked with the WP secondary since his arrival in 2009, and for the last seven seasons he has also been the Pioneers defensive pass coordinator. He spent nine years in the NFL (1998-2006), reaching Super Bowl XXXV as a member of the New York Giants. Williams impact on the Pioneer secondary was immediate, as his willingness to share his knowledge on and off the field helped William Paterson rank second in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) in pass defense (135.4 yards/game) and third in total defense (252.8 yards/game) in 2009. During the 2010 campaign, the WP defensive unit finished third in Division III in pass defense (115.3 yards/game), 26th in total defense (268.8 yards/game) and 27th in pass efficiency defense (96.5 yards/game). Four Pioneers were named to the 2010 NJAC All-Defensive Team, including D3football.com first-team all-American cornerback Leer Biddle. In 2011, WP was sixth in Division III in pass defense (129.70 yards/game) as four WP players were all-league selections on the defensive side of the ball. During the 2012 campaign, William Paterson rated 29th nationally in pass defense (163.60 yards/game) and a pair of Pioneers earned spots on the All-NJAC Defensive Team. Three individuals garnered all-conference laurels in 2013 and 2014, and two were acknowledged following the 2015 campaign. Williams was selected 24th overall by the New York Giants in the first round of the 1998 NFL Draft, and worked with the nickel defense and special teams units for two years before moving into a starting role from 2000-02, including Super Bowl XXXV in 2001 when the Giants squared off against the Baltimore Ravens. An injury during the 10th game of the 2003 season, followed by another injury suffered during the second game of the 2004 campaign, limited his action for two years before he recovered to play in eight games for the Giants in 2005 and start 12 times for the Carolina Panthers during his final season in the league in 2006. All told, he had 347 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 15 interceptions and three forced fumbles in nine years in the NFL. Following a standout career at Crespi Carmelite High School in Encino, Calif., Williams was a three-year starter at UCLA. He ranked third on the team with 59 tackles as a junior, earning honorable-mention all-Pac 10 honors, and as a senior he collected two interceptions, nine pass deflections and 68 tackles (second on team) en route to a spot on the All-Pac 10 First Team.  

Boasting more than a decade of progressive college coaching experience, including the last seven years as a coordinator at a fellow New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) institution, Edwyn Edwards has been tabbed to assume leadership of the William Paterson football program as its new head coach.   Most recently, Edwards served as the defensive coordinator at The College of New Jersey for seven years after stints at King’s College, Salve Regina University, Anna Maria College, and The College of the Holy Cross.   While at TCNJ, Edwards helped lead the Lions to back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2001-02, posting marks of 6-4 during the 2024 and 2025 campaigns. His 2025 charges led the league in scoring defense (19.7 points/game) and total defense (283.4 yards/game), and as part of the 2023 NJAC Co-Coaching Staff of the Year, he spearheaded a unit that finished first in sacks (34, seventh in Division III), red zone defense (21-30, .700) and fourth-down defense (11-28, .393), tied for first in interceptions (15), and second in scoring defense (22.5 points/game).   The 2022 national leader in tackles for loss (9.2 per game), his Lion defense ranked eighth in Division III in sacks (3.56 per game). During six seasons at TCNJ (2019, 2021-25), Edwards coached 29 all-NJAC selections and four all-region honorees, and he worked directly with the defensive line (2025), defensive backs (2019-24) and linebackers (2021-24) position groups while also fulfilling the role of co-academic coordinator (2019-24).   Prior to TCNJ, Edwards was the recruiting coordinator and secondary coach at his alma mater, King’s (Pa.) College (2017-19), helping the Monarchs finish among the top three in the conference in pass defense (184.7 yards/game, 2018) and sacks (30, 2018). He was part of the 35th-ranked total offense as the running backs and tight ends coach at Salve Regina (2016-17), as the Seahawks rated eighth in Division III in rushing offense (274.3 yards/game) and 13th in scoring offense (41.2 points/game).   He started his coaching career as the defensive coordinator and secondary coach at Anna Maria (2012-14).   Edwards was a two-year starting safety and a team captain at King’s, earned a spot on the Dean’s List for eight consecutive semesters, and was inducted into the Aquinas Honor Society, Criminal Justice Honor Society and Sociology Honor Society. He served the campus community as a member of both the Student Government and Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), was a First-Year Experience co-teacher, and was active with Campus Ministry.   Edwards earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice at King’s in 2011, and a master’s degree in pastoral ministry at Anna Maria in 2015.

Lusardi came back to WP after previously serving as the teams defensive coordinator and assistant head coach from 1989-94. He was instrumental to the Pioneers establishing their best five-year record in school history (31-20-1), including bids to the 1993 NCAA Playoffs and the 1991 ECAC Playoffs. During his second stint on the William Paterson sideline, he helped Carlo Caponetta earn 2015 second-team all-conference laurels.   Before returning to WP, Lusardi spent the previous nine years as the head football coach at Morris Catholic High School, where he helped develop six all-state, 24 all-county and 28 all-conference players during his tenure. In 2007, he was honored as the Morris County Coach of the Year by the Star Ledger.   From 1994-2005, Lusardi served as the head coach at Pace University and achieved a top-10 ranking among Division II non-scholarship schools during nine of his 11 seasons. He also mentored 28 all-Americans during his time at the helm.   Prior to WP, Lusardi was the offensive coordinator at The Defiance College from 1988-89, and the head (1984-88) and assistant (1977-84) coach at Morris Catholic High School where he led the program to the state final in 1987.   Lusardi earned a bachelor of science in health and physical education from Slippery Rock State College in 1975, where he spent two seasons as a player and one year as a student assistant for the football team, and completed a masters in athletic administration at Montclair State in 1985.