Greenwich High football coach John Marinelli speaks at the podium during the Connecticut Sports Writers’ Alliance’s 78th Gold Key Dinner at the Aqua Turf Club in Southington on April 28. Marinelli was named the Alliance’s Bob McInerney Coach of the Year after leading the Cardinals to a perfect record and the 2018 Class LL championship. Marinelli has resigned to take an offensive analyst position at the University of Arizona.
Gerry deSimas / Connecticut Sports Writers’ Alliance
John Marinelli’s resignation as football coach at Greenwich left the school little time to find a new coach. Training camp begins in August and the regular season commences in September, so the search is on quickly for the next Cardinals coach.
Marinelli went 36-10 during his four-year coaching tenure with the Cardinals, which included a Class LL championship in 2018 and a trip to the state final during the 2017 season.
The 33-year-old Marinelli will depart for his new position as offensive analyst for the University of Arizona football team in Tuscon. Greenwich has a choice of hiring from within — selecting an assistant from Marinelli’s staff as the new head coach — or hiring an individual from outside the program.
“The selection process for our football coach won’t be any different from the selection process for any other coach that we hire at Greenwich High School,” athletic director Gus Lindine said. “We are going to try to get it done in a timely manner and as quickly as possible.”
Marinelli noted on Thursday that he’d like to see the school hire a football coach from within. He said he’ll still keep track of his former Cardinals squad.
“I am excited to see what the future holds for Greenwich,” Marinelli said. “I am going to check up on the 2019 team, the 2020 team and teams after that. I’ve just become their biggest fan. I hope they know I will always be there for them and the memories we made will never go away.”
Greenwich senior Lance Large, a wide receiver for the Cardinals the past several seasons, who will play football at John’s Hopkins University in the fall, reflected on the impact Marinelli had on him.
“He is one of the best people I’ve ever met in my life,” Large said. “He helped shape me, I am where I am, because I had played for the greatest coach ever. He was the most dedicated coach I ever met. He was the reason why we got to where we were, the state championship. I’m sad to see him go, but also excited for him and his career.”
Added Toby Turnbull, who will play on the football team at Stonehill College in the fall: “He (Marinelli) is one of the most influential people that I ever met in my life. He helped every single one of us on, and off the field. He helped us grow as people, not just football players.”
dfierro@greenwichtime.com
