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| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Head coach |
| Team | Bryant |
| Conference | CAA Football |
| Record | 25–36 |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | (1969-12-07) December 7, 1969 (age 55) |
| Playing career | |
| 1988–1992 | Indiana |
| 1994–1995 | Gavle Red Devils Sweden |
| 1996-1997 | Hamburg Blue Devils |
| Position(s) | Free safety |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1993 | Eastern Illinois (assistant) |
| 1996–1998 | Hamburg Blue Devils (DC) |
| 1999 | Stuttgart Scorpions |
| 2000 | Thiel (DB) |
| 2001–2018 | Christopher Columbus HS (FL) |
| 2019–present | Bryant |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 25–36 (college) 52–11–1 (GFL) 165–49 (high school) |
Chris Merritt (born December 7, 1969) is an American football coach and former player. He was named to the position as the head football coach at Bryant University in December 2018. He came to Bryant after serving 18 years as head coach at Christopher Columbus High School in Miami, Florida, posting a record of 165–49 in 18 season there. He also served five years at Thiel College as the defensive backs coach and special teams coordinator and two years at Eastern Illinois University as an assistant coach.
Merritt played college football at Indiana University Bloomington where he was four year letter winner. He played professionally in Sweden Superserien in 1994 and 1995 seasons. He then played and was a coach in the German Football League with the Hamburg Blue Devils winning the German Bowl and Eurobowl championships. He then coached the Stuttgart Scorpions.
Head coaching record
College
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bryant Bulldogs (Northeast Conference) (2019–2022) | |||||||||
| 2019 | Bryant | 4–8 | 3–4 | T–5th | |||||
| 2020–21 | Bryant | 2–2 | 2–2 | T–3rd | |||||
| 2021 | Bryant | 7–4 | 5–2 | 2nd | |||||
| 2022 | Bryant | 4–7 | 2–3 | T–3rd | |||||
| Bryant Bulldogs (Big South–OVC Football Association) (2023) | |||||||||
| 2023 | Bryant | 6–5 | 4–2 | T–3rd | |||||
| Bryant Bulldogs (Coastal Athletic Association Football Conference) (2024–present) | |||||||||
| 2024 | Bryant | 2–10 | 0–8 | T–15th | |||||
| Bryant: | 25–36 | 16–21 | |||||||
| Total: | 25–36 | ||||||||
High school
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christopher Columbus Explorers () (2001–2018) | |||||||||
| 2001 | Christopher Columbus | 9–3 | 1st | ||||||
| 2002 | Christopher Columbus | 4–6 | 3rd | ||||||
| 2003 | Christopher Columbus | 7–4 | |||||||
| 2004 | Christopher Columbus | 7–3 | 4–0 | 1st | |||||
| 2005 | Christopher Columbus | 9–1 | 5–0 | 1st | |||||
| 2006 | Christopher Columbus | 7–4 | 4–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 2007 | Christopher Columbus | 11–1 | 5–0 | 1st | |||||
| 2008 | Christopher Columbus | 8–1 | 4–0 | 1st | |||||
| 2009 | Christopher Columbus | 9–2 | 5–0 | 1st | |||||
| 2010 | Christopher Columbus | 11–1 | 5–0 | 1st | |||||
| 2011 | Christopher Columbus | 11–2 | 3–0 | 1st | |||||
| 2012 | Christopher Columbus | 8–5 | 3–0 | 1st | |||||
| 2013 | Christopher Columbus | 7–5 | 4–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 2014 | Christopher Columbus | 14–2 | 6–0 | 1st | |||||
| 2015 | Christopher Columbus | 12–2 | 4–1 | 1st | |||||
| 2016 | Christopher Columbus | 7–4 | 4–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 2017 | Christopher Columbus | 10–2 | 4–0 | 1st | |||||
| 2018 | Christopher Columbus | 14–1 | 4–0 | 1st | |||||
| Christopher Columbus: | 165–49 | ||||||||
| Total: | 165–49 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
References and notes
- "Chris Merritt". Twitter. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
- "Chris Merritt". Sports Reference. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
- "Columbus Explorers". The Miami Herald. August 27, 2003. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
- ^ Christopher Columbus ended the 2002 season 7–3 but had to forfeit three wins due to an ineligible player.
External links
| Head coaches of CAA Football Conference | |
|---|---|
# denotes interim head coach |
| Bryant Bulldogs head football coaches | |
|---|---|
|
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- 1969 births
- Living people
- American football safeties
- Bryant Bulldogs football coaches
- Eastern Illinois Panthers football coaches
- Indiana Hoosiers football players
- Thiel Tomcats football coaches
- High school football coaches in Florida
- American expatriate players of American football
- American expatriate sportspeople in Sweden
- American expatriate sportspeople in Germany
- German Football League coaches
- German Football League players
- College football coaches first appointed in the 2010s stubs