Chris Pucella
Head Coach
When Chris Pucella was hired to take over the Marietta College men’s crew program in the spring of 2005, he knew that he would soon be in charge of one of the top small-school crews in the nation.
After some quick research, Pucella, the fifth Pioneer coach since 1959, got a glimpse into the program’s storied history. He found out that Marietta’s Varsity 8 (V8) won the inaugural Dad Vail race in 1934, the first of five gold medals for the school in its biggest race of the season. The Pioneers, who are one of only two original schools—Manhattan being the other—that still attend the Dad Vails, also won the event in 1939, 1963, 1966 and 1967.
What also stuck in Pucella’s mind was that the Pioneer Navy had gone 38 years without capturing the gold medal at Dad Vails. When first interviewed, Pucella, who spent the previous two years as an assistant coach with Central Florida, was quoted as saying: “My goal is to continue the development of Marietta rowing as one of the best programs in the nation. The ultimate goal remains the same, to win the V8 at Dad Vails on a consistent basis.” It did not take Pucella long to end the streak as he guided the 2006 V8 to that elusive gold medal. Marietta also made the finals in 2007 and finished fourth.
Looking back, Pucella is still very proud how his men were able to come together to row such a great race and bring back a Dad Vail gold for all of the alumni, family and friends of Pioneer Rowing.
Pucella has devoted himself to developing the program to a level where it remains a consistent force at the Dad Vail. Marietta’s V8 has won a medal at the event in five of the last six years and he intends to keep that trend alive in the years to come. Pucella also looks to build the medal count of the Freshmen 8 (F8) and develop a consistent Lightweight program.
Before his time at UCF, Pucella was the men’s head coach at Edgewater High School in Orlando, Fla. Pucella’s Varsity 8 won the gold medal and his JV 8 took the bronze at the 2002 Florida State Championships.
Pucella also served three years as the head coach of the West Side Rowing Club in Buffalo, N.Y. During his tenure, the West Side rowers were among the best in the state and never placed a boat lower than third.
As a rower, Pucella has won medals from the Dad Vails, Royal Canadian Henley and U.S. Nationals. Pucella was awarded a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science in 1997 and a Masters of Education in 2002—both from the University of Buffalo.
Pucella and his wife, Tanya, live in Marietta. Tanya is the Director of Civic Engagement and an assistant professor of Leadership Studies in Marietta College’s McDonough Leadership Program.
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