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McDonnell on Hall of Fame ballot

Photo courtesy UNH media relations

IRVING, Texas – Sean McDonnell, who coached the University of New Hampshire football program from 1999-2021, has been named to the 2027 ballot under consideration for induction into the NFF College Football Hall of Fame, the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame announced this week.

McDonnell, whose name is on the ballot for the first time, is one of 99 players and 39 coaches from the divisional ranks listed on the ballot; there are an additional 80 players and nine coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision.

Two UNH Wildcats have been inducted into the NFF College Football Hall of Fame. Bill Bowes, 27-year head coach from 1972-98, was inducted in 2016 and Jerry Azumah ’99 is in the Class of 2026.

The ballot was emailed Monday to the more than 12,000 NFF members and current NFF Hall of Famers. Votes will be tabulated and submitted to the NFF’s Honors Court, which will deliberate and select the 2027 Hall of Fame class.

The announcement of the 2027 NFF College Football Hall of Fame Class will be made in January 2027, with specific details announced in the future.

McDonnell, who was twice named the Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year (2005, 2014), retired as New Hampshire head coach in December 2021 as the CAA’s active leader in conference victories (100), which is No. 3 on the league’s all-time leaderboard. His 157 career wins rank second in UNH history behind his former head coach Bill Bowes, whom he succeeded April 22, 1999, to become the 19th head coach in UNH history.

McDonnell elevated the football program to great heights. The Wildcats rose to national prominence through a 14-year run of NCAA playoff berths and 14 playoff victories from 2004-17. Highlighting that stretch of excellence were three conference championships (2005, 2012, 2014), back-to-back national semifinal game appearances (2013-14), a stretch of 162 consecutive weeks ranked in the STATS FCS Top 25 (Sept. 6, 2004 – Oct. 12, 2015) and wins in the final 15 games played at Cowell Stadium, which served as the team’s home for 79 seasons prior to the opening of Wildcat Stadium in 2016.

McDonnell’s other significant coaching accolades include AFCA District Coach of the Year (4x, 2004-05-12-14), CAA Coach of the Year (2x, 2004-14), New England Football Writers Coach of the Year (6x, 2005-08-10-12-14-16) and Gridiron Club of Greater Boston Head Coach of the Year (4x, 2000-04-09-12).

In 2013, McDonnell was honored by the Joe Yukica-New Hampshire Chapter of the National Football Foundation with the Andy Mooradian Award for his contributions to amateur football.

Through McDonnell’s hard-hat and blue-collar approach, UNH football became an FBS giant killer with five straight victories against higher-level competition from 2004-09, which featured defeats of Rutgers (’04), Northwestern (’06), Marshall (’07), Army (’08) and Ball State (’09); McDonnell’s Wildcats added another FBS victory vs. Georgia Southern to their ledger in 2017.

The Saratoga Springs, N.Y., native mentored 14 student-athletes to a combined 55 All-American awards, which included the nation’s top offensive player (Ricky Santos, Walter Payton Award, 2006), best defensive player (Matt Evans, Buck Buchanan Award, 2011), and NCAA all-time record holder for touchdown receptions (David Ball, 58, 2003-06).

During McDonnell’s tenure, the Wildcats boasted 46 All-CAA First Team selections, four CAA Offensive Player of the Year Award recipients (Santos, 3x, 2005-07; Kevin Decker, 2011) and three CoSIDA Academic All-Americans (Kyle Reisert, 2x, 2017-18; Nick Marino, 2017).

Four former Wildcats who played for McDonnell went on to play in the NFL: Corey Graham (Chicago Bears, Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Philadelphia Eagles); Dan Kreider (Pittsburgh Steelers); Randal Williams (Dallas Cowboys, Oakland Raiders) and Jason Ball (San Diego Chargers).

McDonnell, a standout defensive back for the Wildcats from 1975-78, served eight seasons as an assistant coach at UNH, including five years as offensive coordinator, before being promoted to head coach.

The 2027 NFF College Football Hall of Fame Class will be officially inducted during the 69th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas, and they will be honored at their respective schools with an NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute, presented by Fidelity Investments, during the 2027 season.

Sean McDonnell Coaching Biography

Accolades

  • Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year (’05, ’14)
  • Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year finalist (’04)
  • National Coach of the Year, AFCA (’14)
  • District Coach of the Year, AFCA (’04, ’05, ’12, ’14)
  • New England Football Writers Coach of the Year (’05, ’08, ’10, ’12, ’14, ’16)
  • College Head Coach of the Year, Gridiron Club of Greater Boston (’00, ’04, ’09, ’12)

College Coaching Experience

  • University of New Hampshire (31 years)
    • Head coach (23 years)
    • Offensive coordinator (5 years)
    • QB / WR coach (3 years)
  • Columbia University (2 years)
  • Boston College, grad assistant (1 year)
  • Boston University, WR/TE (3 years)
  • Hamilton College, defensive coordinator (2 years)

Year-by-Year
1999 5-6 (3-5 Atlantic 10)
2000 6-5 (4-4 Atlantic 10)
2001 4-7 (2-7 Atlantic 10)
2002 3-8 (2-7 Atlantic 10)
2003 5-7 (3-6 Atlantic 10)
2004 10-3 (6-2 Atlantic 10) NCAA quarterfinals
2005 11-2 (7-1 Atlantic 10) NCAA quarterfinals
2006 9-4 (5-3 Atlantic 10) NCAA quarterfinals
2007 7-5 (4-4 CAA) NCAA first round
2008 10-3 (6-2 CAA) NCAA quarterfinals
2009 10-3 (6-2 CAA) NCAA quarterfinals
2010 8-5 (5-3 CAA) NCAA quarterfinals
2011 8-4 (6-2 CAA) NCAA second round
2012 8-4 (6-2 CAA) NCAA second round
2013 10-5 (6-2 CAA) NCAA semifinals
2014 12-2 (8-0 CAA) NCAA semifinals
2015 7-5 (5-3 CAA) NCAA first round
2016 8-5 (6-2 CAA) NCAA second round
2017 9-5 (5-3 CAA) NCAA quarterfinals
2018 4-7 (3-5 CAA)
2019 Did not coach
Spring 2021 0-1 (0-1 CAA) ^
2021 3-8 (2-6 CAA)
Career: 157-104 (.602)  |  CAA Record: 100-72 (.581)

^ COVID-19 abbreviated spring season

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