Eric Hennessy new Head Football Coach

Friday, May 2, 2014

By MATT STRAUB
STAFF WRITER

New Britain Herald

NEWINGTON — Eric Hennessy, previously an assistant coach at Concordia University Chicago, has been named the new head varsity football coach at Newington High School. For someone who had traveled across the country, it might seem like just another stop. For Hennessy, however, this one feels different. Coming to Newington feels like fate.

“My wife works for Travelers and got relocated to the Hartford area,” Hennessy, 42, said. “I started doing research, called a couple of people I know in the college world and they kept saying Newington was a place a lot of people thought was a sleeping giant. I applied, they had a teaching opening which fit my certification and it all worked out. They’re starting a new IT program in Newington. It was meant to be. My wife and I thought about it a lot. When she got relocated we weren’t sure about it, but everything just sort of happened. It’s devine intervention I think and I’m blessed to have this opportunity.”

Hennessy replaces Roy Roberts, who left the Indians recently to take the job at Manchester.

“Coach Hennessy brings a strong background in coaching high levels of competitive football,” Newington athletic director Chris Meyers said, adding he was “excited to see the positive impact he will have on the football program”.

Part of that excitement comes from Hennessy’s time at Elmwood Park Community Unit High School in Illinois. The program didn’t win a ton of games, but the team’s GPA was a full point higher when Hennessy left than when he got there.

“That’s one of the things I pride myself on,” Hennessy said. “Winning is great and I want to be successful, but my main job as a high school coach is to prepare young men for life. I want to teach them to do the right things. I’m of the belief that if you take care of character issues and little things, wins will happen.”

To get those wins, Hennessy hopes to implement an up-tempo style on offense, but won’t force something on a team which won’t be able to run it well.

“My philosophy is to move fast,” Hennessy said. “I like the spread option, but with that said, I have to cater any system around the kids we have. If we have to tweak it year-to-year to fit the talent we have, we’ll do that. We won’t as a kid to wear a shoe that doesn’t fit.”

Hennessy, who has also coached in Raleigh, North Carolina before heading back to the midwest to be closer to family, also preaches defense, and has big goals for the Indians on that side of the ball.

“Our main thing at Newington will be having the best defense in the area and eventually the state,” he said. “That’s where we have to start.”

Hennessy is getting a new start in Newington, and he couldn’t be happier. If things work out on the field as well as they did to get Hennessy to Newington, the Indians will be just as excited come the fall.

Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Thanksgiving Day Game - 11/27 at 6pm at CCSU
 previous

Monday, May 12, 2014
Hennessy ready to face new challenge
next