Bio

Peter Ewald heads into his fifth season as the head coach of the Franklin Pierce Sprint Football program in 2016. The architect of the program since day one, Ewald led a young Ravens squad to respectability in the team’s inaugural season in 2012 and has amassed a 13-13 record (.500) over 26 games in four seasons as the head ball coach in Rindge.

As in the previous season, Franklin Pierce started 0-2 in the 2015 campaign. This time however, Franklin Pierce rattled off wins in four of its last five games to finish above .500 for the second time, at 4-3. The signature win came on Oct. 9, when the crimson and grey gutted out an 18-16 win over Navy, on the road at Navy Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. For Navy, it was the first loss since a 17-7 defeat at Army on Oct. 26, 2013, snapping an 11-game winning streak. It was also the first home loss since a 21-18 defeat by Army on Nov. 2, 2012, snapping a 10-game home winning streak. It was Navy's first loss to a team other than Army since a 24-14 loss against Penn on Oct. 2, 2010. The last time a team other than Army had won in Annapolis was on Oct. 21, 2000, when Penn pulled out a 28-27 victory in overtime.

Elsewhere in 2015, the Ravens retained the Talon Cup for the third straight season with a 38-0 whitewashing of Post at home on Oct. 3 and had 11 players honored by the CSFL at the end of the season. Josh Tilton, Brandon Knight, Derek Reddy and Franco Pizzarella led the way with All-CSFL First Team accolades.

The 2014 squad took a step back from the heights of 2013, putting together a 3-4 record, though the Ravens won three of their final five games to rebound from an 0-2 start. The highlight of the campaign was a 45-7 shellacking of Princeton in the program's first-ever on-campus home game, as the 2014 season marked the team's first season of play on Sodexo Field. The crimson and grey capped 2014 by retaining the Talon Cup with a thrilling, 17-10, double overtime win on the road at Post to retain the Talon Cup for the second straight season.

After the program got its feet wet in 2012, the Ravens broke through with a five-win season in their sophomore season of 2013 by putting together a 5-2 record. The team opened the campaign 1-2, but then rattled off four straight wins to close the season after the calendar turned to October. The crimson and grey laid claim to a pair of trophies along the way, as Franklin Pierce defeated Cornell, 13-6, in the Collegiate Sprint Football League's annual Allegiance Bowl on Sept. 21. To cap the season, Ewald's Ravens defeated his former charges, with a 42-14 win over Post on Oct. 26 to collect the Talon Cup as well.

In 2012, the Ravens, who were comprised close to 95 percent of true freshmen playing in their first collegiate football games, produced just a 1-4 record, but three of the losses came by eight points or less. The close calls served as a signal to that Franklin Pierce has the potential to become one of the top programs in the CSFL in the very near future.

Franklin Pierce finally broke through with its monumental via a 21-14 triumph at Princeton on Oct. 12 in New Jersey.

Overall, Ewald brings 17 years of collegiate coaching experience to Rindge, including the past three seasons as head coach in the CSFL, as he also led the Post University sprint football program from 2010-11. He was hired as the program’s first sprint football head coach in January 2010 and quickly went to work building the program from its inception. He guided the Eagles to a 33-18 win over Princeton during the team’s first year of competition in 2010 and followed by winning a pair of games against Cornell and Princeton during the program’s second season in 2011. Post was very competitive in several other games in the 2011 campaign including against defending CSFL champion Pennsylvania and traditional league power Army – both games coming on the road.

Ewald has also coached at four other colleges during his career and has gained valuable experience coaching a variety of positions. He has served as an offensive coordinator and overseen the quarterback, offensive line, wide receiver and tight end positions. He has also coached on the defensive side of the ball, including the line and secondary.

Ewald first began his collegiate coaching career at Marist in 1991 and then moved onto Bates College in 1995. There, he coached the school’s career passing leader. He also coached at Lebanon Valley College and at Sacred Heart University, a Division I program in the Northeast Conference. While at Sacred Heart, Ewald coached the defensive line and tutored a pair of two-time First-Team All-NEC performers at the position. He also served as the school’s special teams coordinator.

Ewald had an impressive college football playing career as he was a four-year letterwinner at Syracuse University. He helped guide the Orange to the 1985 Cherry Bowl and was elected a team captain for the 1986 season.

Ewald is married to his wife, Charlene, and the couple has three children, Benjamin, Nathan and Emma.

Sprint Football Head Coach (2012-Present)