Former longtime New Haven football coach Chris Pincince has been hired as the head coach at Division III Susquehanna University, the Pennsylvania program announced Tuesday.
Pincince spent 10 years with the Chargers from 2014 to 2024, compiling a 76-34 record while dominating the Division II Northeast-10 Conference, but was fired in May 2025 just days after New Haven announced a transition to Division I athletics for the upcoming academic year. He spent the 2025 season as a wide receivers coach with in-state, Northeast-10 rivals Post, as the Waterbury school ultimately finished 1-7 in conference.
FB | 🚨 𝗡𝗼𝘄 𝗔𝗿𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴! 🚨
- Susquehanna Athletics (@GOSusqU) February 17, 2026
We are proud to announce Chris Pincince as our next head coach! He officially begins his new role with us on Monday. Congratulations and welcome Coach Pincince!#ALLIN x #GOSUSQU x https://t.co/3RRcBT0VrN x #d3fbhttps://t.co/Sfenijf1Z8
The Rhode Island native also began his coaching career at New Haven following a four-year career under center at Boston University, spending six total seasons as the Chargers' wide receivers coach and offensive coordinator from 1994 to 2001. From there, Pincince held offensive coordinator positions at a variety of FCS programs before returning to the Elm City in 2014 to begin his head coaching career.
Taking over for Peter Rossomando, who was hired away by Division I program Central Connecticut State, Pincince finished 6-5 in his debut season and enjoyed fairly linear success over the next half-decade. Pincince won four-straight Northeast-10 conference championships to close out his tenure with the school, but this success often failed to translate onto the national stage, posting a 2-5 record in the NCAA Division II football playoffs while last reaching the second round in 2021.
Mark Powell, the grandson of legendary Yale coach Carmen Cozza, was appointed as the interim manager ahead of the Chargers' FCS debut season after serving as Pincince's defensive coordinator, with the program planning to conduct a nationwide search during the offseason. However, New Haven finished a respectable 5-5 in 2025, and the school elected to remove Powell's interim tag, offering him a 3-year contract as head coach.
Meanwhile, Pincince will inherit a successful Susquehanna program, with the River Hawks finishing the 2025 season 11-3 and making a deep run into the Division III playoffs, ultimately bowing out in the quarterfinal round against Johns Hopkins. Susquehanna posted three consecutive winning seasons under former coach Tom Perkovich, who was hired by UAlbany as the school's next head football coach in November.
This article originally published at Former New Haven coach Chris Pincince hired by Division III Susquehanna.