BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- It was a fluke.
He didn’t know anything about Bridgewater State until a fateful event brought him there.
After 44 years, you can’t keep Joe Verria, the Bears’ head football coach, away from campus.
Verria’s path to Bridgewater State wasn’t a conventional one. Growing up in Rhode Island, he wasn’t familiar with the campus that lies in the heart of downtown Bridgewater. A chance visit brought him there for the first time and a meeting with their legendary football coach.
“One day I was asked by a friend if I would go with him to visit his sister at then BSC,” Verria said. “While I was on campus my friend’s sister said ‘Why don’t we go see the Football Coach’. I went to the football office and met Head Coach (Peter) Mazzaferro and Defensive Coordinator Coach (Ed) Braun and we hit it off well. They had me go up to admissions and I was accepted on the spot. Coming to BSC was probably the best decision I have made in my life. This is where I met my wife, Maryann, my son, Ryan, now attends BSU and is one of our captains and this is where I have made my home and business since 1985.”
Verria jumped right into life as a student-athlete at Bridgewater State. Studying math while competing in football and track and field, he used the latter sport as a way to stay in shape for the fall season. They even had a competition among the lineman called the “Fatman’s quarter mile” where they would race other schools at the end of a meet with the Bears usually coming out victorious.
Looking back, his favorite memories were simple. He loved having out with his teammates and competing in intramurals with his friends. Those that he met while a student-athlete remain close today and make sure to get together at least once a year. Despite that, two games stick out though when Verria walks down memory lane.
“As a player I think one of the biggest games I ever played in was my senior year against top 10 in the country New Haven (Conn.),” Verria said. “While we didn’t win the game, we tied them 6-6 and ruined their undefeated season. I am also proud to say that I had the pleasure to play in the first Cranberry Bowl my senior year in 1976 and that started the Bridgewater State- Massachusetts Maritime rivalry we have today over 40 years later.”
After graduating, Verria got the opportunity every football player dreams of when he was invited to try out for the Green Bay Packers, Cincinnati Bengals, Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots. With the Packers, he was able to play in the Hall of Fame game for Head Coach Bart Starr, which according to Verria “was a tremendous memory and something I will never forget.”
In 1988, Verria received a call from his former head coach asking if he wanted to return to Bridgewater State as a defensive line coach. It didn’t take long for him to return to his alma mater and begin mentoring a new group of student-athletes. Along with his coaching job, Verria also began his insurance career that year at Bearce Insurance, a position he has held ever since.
Under Verria’s watch as the Bears' longtime defensive coordinator, 55 different players earned All-Conference accolades on the defensive side of the ball, including 21 linemen, 17 linebackers and 17 defensive backs. 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 defensive pass efficiency checked in with an impressive 94.96 NCAA rating. Bridgewater forced 89 turnovers over the 29 games for an average of 3.07 per game. Sixty of those 89 turnovers came via the interception, including a school single-season record of 28 in 2005.
Seeing plenty of success with the Bears defense under his belt after 28 years, Verria got the chance of a lifetime when he was promoted to head coach of the program. It didn’t take him long to find success in his new role which provided more unforgettable moments for the coach.
“To win a conference championship in my first year as a head coach was an incredible accomplishment by our players and coaches,” Verria said. “We had started the season 0-2 and went on an 8-0 run to become MASCAC Champs. This is a great league with great coaches and players, and to represent the MASCAC in the NCAA’s that year was a great experience for our program.”
2020 marks the 32nd year Verria has been a presence on the Bears’ sideline. Even though his experience may center on coaching, his advice for current and former student-athlete transcends life.
“I think the most important thing is to follow your passion, do what you love to do,” Verria said. “If you want to coach you need to understand that patience is important and that it takes time to move up the ranks, especially in college. I think starting at the high school level as a position coach or as a graduate assistant in college if you are fortunate to get that opportunity and grow from there. Starting at an entry level position will teach you about the basics of the game and the inside workings of a program.”
It may have been a fluke that brought Verria to the Bridgewater State campus, but it was a life-altering decision that paid out in dividends.