Skip Bandini
Football Head Coach
617-333-2109
sbandini0306@curry.edu
Named 2007 Coach of the Year by both the New England Football Writers and the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston
Coach Bandini's Coaching Philosophy
In his second year, Bandini guided the Colonels to a school-record 12-win campaign, including a second-consecutive undefeated regular season (11-0). Curry won its fifth-consecutive New England Football Conference (NEFC) title and qualified for the NCAA Division III Tournament for the fifth-straight year. Curry was selected to host an NCAA Tournament game for the first time, and on November 17, Bandini led Curry and the entire 16-team NEFC to their first-ever NCAA Tourney win – a convincing 42-21 victory against Empire 8 Conference Champions Hartwick College.
In addition to wins in a season, Bandini’s 2007 squad established school records for points scored (474), touchdowns scored (62), passing yards (2,737), rushing yards (2,683), total yards (5,420), offensive plays (947) and first downs (276). Nearly all of these are now NEFC records as well. Curry is currently riding a 30-game win streak against conference opponents, as well as a 29-game win streak at home.
The 2007 Colonels were ranked as the #1 team in the New England Division III Poll for the entire season – a first for Curry – and #19 nationally in the final American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) poll – the school’s highest-ever national ranking. At season's end, Bandini was named as 2007 Division II/III Coach of the Year by both the New England Football Writers (NEFW) and the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston.
In his first season, Bandini led the Colonels to a perfect 11-0 regular-season record and was named as New England Football Conference (NEFC) Boyd Division Coach of the Year. Bandini's squad won the NEFC title for the fourth year in a row, and earned a berth in the 2006 NCAA Division III Football Tournament. He has now compiled a stellar 23-2 record (.920 winning percentage) in his two seasons at the helm.
Bandini had served on former Head Coach Steve Nelson’s staff for three seasons – as defensive coordinator in 2003 and 2004, then as offensive coordinator in 2005. Curry won the NEFC title and participated in the NCAA Division III Tournament in each of those years. Out of 228 Division III football programs nationwide, his Colonels’ defensive units ranked 12th and 16th respectively in 2003 and 2004 in team defense.
Over a career that now spans 25 years, Bandini has coached at five different high schools and five different colleges throughout Massachusetts. Among his high school assignments were head coaching positions at St. Clement (1989-1990) and Don Bosco Tech (1992-1995), his alma mater. Bandini also served in various coaching capacities at Dom Savio, Stoneham and Reading High Schools.
He launched his coaching career in 1981 with a two-year stint as assistant to the offensive line coach at Massachusetts Maritime Academy. Bandini then returned to the collegiate ranks in 1996, working as offensive coordinator at M.I.T. for three seasons before moving on to Mount Ida College as defensive coordinator for one year. Prior to his arrival at Curry, Bandini served as both defensive and offensive line coach at Division II UMass-Lowell from 2000-2002.
Bandini grew up in Brighton with his mother Agnes and brother Jay, and graduated from Don Bosco Tech in 1976, where he earned all-conference honors as a lineman and played on two Catholic Conference championship squads. Bandini then attended Bridgton Academy, graduating in 1977 after earning letters in three varsity sports (football, hockey and baseball).
He went on to Massachusetts Maritime Academy, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Engineering in 1981. A four-year starter at offensive line for the Buccaneers, Bandini was a two-time All-New England performer, earned numerous team and all-conference honors, played on an NEFC Championship squad in 1977 and was a team captain his senior year. In 1999, Mass. Maritime retired his #62 jersey and in 2006, he was inducted into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame.
In 2005, Bandini was honored by the Massachusetts High School Football Coaches Association as their recipient of the Association’s annual Distinguished Service Award. Bandini is founder of MasterSports Inc which is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit corporation providing memorial scholarships to student-athletes.
A Director of Facilities for 20 years and a Certified Plant Engineer since 1990, he assumed his current full-time position as Director of Facilities for the Waltham Public School System in June 2002. Bandini resides in Reading and is the proud father of two sons, John and P.J.