Coach Denune just completed his fourth season as the Bears head coach as he is just the fourth head coach for the football program since it was reinstituted in 1960.  Coach Denune is a 1998 graduate of Heidelberg College in Ohio where he earned a degree in Health and Physical Education.  He was a four-year letterman and starter at running back for Heidelberg from 1993 to 1996.  Following graduation, Chuck also served one season as a student assistant coach at Heidelberg as he was responsible for running backs and special teams as well as the defensive scout team.  

In 1998, Denune came to Bridgewater State as a graduate assistant on the football coaching staff under longtime BSC skipper Peter Mazzaferro. He received his Masters Degree in Human Performance and Exercise Science from BSC in May of 2000.  Upon completion of his graduate degree, he remained on the staff as an assistant.  His coaching responsibilities during his eight-year stint included running backs, receivers, defensive backs, offensive line as well as the primary strength and conditioning coach. While coaching the offensive line and the running backs, three separate individuals broke the single-season school rushing record, and the Bears have finished among the top teams in Division III in scoring offense.

In his three seasons as the Bears skipper, Coach Denune has directed his teams to a 30-10 record as well as three ECAC Bowl Game appearances.  In 2005, Bridgewater finished with a 9-1 record and captured the ECAC Northeast Bowl title with a 34-17 win over Fitchburg State.  For his team's outstanding performance that season, Denune was chosen as the New England Football Writers Division II/III Coach of the Year.

In 2006, BSC went 8-2 and won the ECAC North Atlantic Bowl with a convincing 41-22 victory over Coast Guard. In 2007, the Bears posted a record of 6-4 and dropped a tough 24-21 decision to Plymouth State in the North Atlantic Bowl. This past season, Bridgewater finished with a 7-3 mark and earned a share of the NEFC Bogan Division Division title along with Maine Maritime Academy.          

Coach Denune has also been a visiting lecturer in the Bridgewater State Department of Movement Arts since 2001, teaching classes ranging from flag football to anatomy.  In 2002, he became the full-time Assistant Fitness Center Director in the Department of Athletics, assisting in all aspects of the administration of the BSC Fitness Center.

Chuck is a member of the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), and he is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS).  He has served as a clinician and assisted in the organization of camps and clinics at Bridgewater State, Boston College, Slippery Rock and the Frank Glaizer Clinics.      

He currently resides in Bridgewater, Massachusetts with his wife, Gina, and son, Logan, and daughter, Zoe.

Coach Verria is in his 22nd season as a key member of the Bears' coaching staff.  From 2004 to 2006, Bridgewater State's defense ranked among the national leaders in Division III.  The Bears allowed just 16.6 points per game during that three-year span and the rush defense gave up just 2.7 yards per carry.  The team's pass efficiency defense checked in with an impressive 94.96 NCAA rating. On an NFL scale, that would calculate to a rating of 50.53.  BSC forced 89 turnovers over the 29 games for an average of 3.07 per game.  60 of those 89 turnovers came via the interception, including a school, single-season record of 28 interceptions in 2005.

In 2005, Bridgewater State football ranked 11th in all of Division III in defensive pass efficiency rating (90.0), 15th in rushing defense (88.1 ypg) and turnover margin (+13), 21st in total defense (265.6 ypg) and tied for 20th in scoring defense (15.5 ppg).  In 2006, the Bears finished 10th nationally in both interceptions (21) and forced turnovers (34), and were ranked third in turnover margin (+17) and 22nd in defensive pass efficiency rating (92.3).

Coach Verria was a star defensive tackle for Bridgewater State for four seasons from 1977 to 1980.  Following his collegiate career he had several NFL tryouts including stints with the Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots.  Joe was also a track star at BSC and was a MASCAC all-conference shot putter in 1980 and 1981.  He returned to Bridgewater in 1988 as an assistant coach for football, a position that he has held ever since.  In 2001, Joe was one of six new members inducted into the BSC Athletic Hall of Fame.  Before joining the BSC coaching staff, he also coached for six years at East Bridgewater High School (1981-87). 

Joe, who is an insurance and financial specialist at Bearce Insurance, presently resides in Bridgewater with his wife, Maryann, and son, Ryan.

A native of Fiskeville, Rhode Island, Rene is in his fifth season (seventh overall) on the Bears' coaching staff as he also was an assistant coach for three seasons from 1998 to 2000. He is a 1998 graduate of Bridgewater State where he played center for the Bears for two seasons and was captain of the team in 1997.  Rene currently owns and operates three Next Level Fitness centers in Smithfield, North Scituate and Cumberland, Rhode Island.

Coach Callahan is in his second consecutive season on the BSC football coaching staff and fifth overall.  Pat also coached at BSC from 2004 to 2006.  A native of Middleboro, Mass, Callahan was a standout performer on the gridiron at Bridgewater State, and continued his football playing days as a member of the Middleboro Cobras in the Eastern Football League.  Pat previously served as an assistant coach at Middleboro High School as he was the Sachems' head freshman coach in 1998.  Prior to joining the Bears' coaching staff in 2004, he was a receivers coach at Stonehill College for one season and he has also served on the staff of numerous camps and clinics in the area, including his alma mater's youth camp. A 2002 Bridgewater State graduate, Pat quarterbacked the Bears to an NEFC championship in 2000 as well as a berth in the NCAA Division III Tournament.  In his two seasons at BSC he passed for 1,779 yards and 16 touchdowns. Coach Callahan presently resides in Brockton, Massachusetts with his wife, Erin.  He currently is a middle school Physical Education teacher in Hingham. 

Chris Digiacomo is entering his second season on the BSC football coaching staff and will be working with the receivers.  Coach Digiacomo is a 1995 graduate of UMass Boston where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Athletic Training and Exercise Physiology.  Chris also earned his Masters of Health Professions and Graduate Certificate in Physician Assistant studies from Northeastern University in September of 2000.  Prior to joining the BSC coaching staff, Chris served as a varsity assistant coach at the the high school level for five years, coaching multiple positions, in addition to experience as a defensive coordinator. Coach Digiacomo currently works full-time as a physician assistant.  In addition to this, he is a licensed and certified athletic trainer, licensed paramedic, and a certified strength and conditioning specialist.  Chris presently resides in Holbrook, Massachusetts, with his wife, Mirela.

David Harrison is entering his first season on the football coaching staff.  Harrison, who will be working with the linebackers this season, is a 1979 graduate of the University of Maine at Orono where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education. He played free safety on the Black Bears football team from 1975 to 1978 and was a three-year starter.

Coach Harrison has twenty-eight years of high school coaching experience under his belt including 17 as a head coach.  Most recently he was the head coach at Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School from 2004 to 2005. From 1994 to 1999, Harrison coached at Wareham High School where he directed his teams to three league championships and one state title.  In 1995, the year his squad captured the state championship, he was named as the Boston Globe Division IV Coach of the Year.

Harrison began his coaching career in his hometown of Middleboro as he was an assistant coach on the varsity high school team from 1979 to 1983.  He then began a seven-year stint as the head coach at Old Colony beginning in 1984.

Outside of high school coaching, Harrison spent two seasons as the head coach of the Middleboro Cobras in the Eastern Football League (EFL) from 1988 to 1989.  He was also a defensive line coach at Massachusetts Maritime Academy in 2003.

Coach Harrison presently resides in Pocasset with wife, Deanne, and three children, Taryn, Jonathan and Devan.  He is an administrative assistant at Old Colony Regional, a position he has held for the last 26 years.

Justin Lima joins the BSC football coaching staff this season after a stellar four-year collegiate career with the Bears. He is a 2009 graduate of BSC with a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice.

A tackle on the offensive line, Lima was an outstanding student-athlete at Bridgewater State over the course of his four seasons on the football team.  He captured All-New England Football Conference (NEFC) honors each of his last three seasons, and was a two-time ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District selection which included first team honors in 2008.

Justin was twice selected as the BSC Scholar Athlete of the Year, and was named to both the D3football.com All-East Region Third Team and ECAC Division III Northeast All-Star Team for his performance on the gridiron in 2008.  He was also the recipient of the Howard C. Smith Award which is presented annually to a student athlete who has excelled in both academics and athletics while attending a Massachusetts State College.

A native of Mashpee, Massachusetts, Coach Lima is currently taking graduate classes at Bridgewater State and is working part-time at the Brockon District Attorney's office as well as Next Level Fitness in Rhode Island.

Ryan Osborn is in his second season as a student assistant and first as the director of football operations on the BSC football staff. Osborn is a native of Norton, Massachusetts where he played high school ball as an offensive lineman at Norton High School.  Ryan is entering his sophomore year at BSC and is a physical education major.  He has worked the Central Connecticut State University Football Camp in 2008 and 2009 as well as the Payton Manning Passing Camp in Louisiana in 2009.  Ryan also serves as the video technician for the BSC Basketball program in the winter season.