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Pat Cerroni, UW-Oshkosh

03/30/2021, 5:15pm CDT
By WFCA

Pat Cerroni enters his 14th year as UW-Oshkosh’s head football coach after leading the Titans to each of their five NCAA Division III postseason appearances, including trips to the program's first national championship game in 2016, to the semifinals in both the school's playoff debut in 2012 and in 2017, and to the quarterfinal round in 2015.

Cerroni, the 23rd head coach in UW-Oshkosh’s 125-year history, has guided the Titans to a 103-42 record (.710 winning percentage), including marks of 13-1 in 2012, 12-1 in 2017, 11-2 in 2015 and 13-2 in 2016. He became the program’s winningest coach with his 69th victory Oct. 15, 2016, at UW-Stevens Point. Cerroni earned his 100th career win at home against UW-Eau Claire on Oct. 19, 2019.

In 2019, Cerroni led the Titans to an 8-3 record, a share of the WIAC championship and the program’s fifth NCAA postseason trip in the past eight years. Cerroni earned WIAC Coach of the Year honors for the fourth time as the Titans led the conference in passing yards (182.7) allowed and sacks allowed (1.27) per game. UW-Oshkosh earned a share of the conference title and the WIAC’s automatic berth into the Division III Championship with a 27-20 victory over third-ranked UW-Whitewater in the regular season finale. The Titans completed their program record-setting ninth consecutive winning season in 2019.

Cerroni was named both the AFCA Region 5 and WIAC Coach of the Year in 2012 and 2015, and WIAC Coach of the Year in both 2017 and 2019. He was also selected the D3football.com West Region Coach of the Year in 2012 and 2017.

Cerroni has coached 54 players to 75 All-WIAC First Team laurels, 44 players to 48 All-Region citations and 19 players to 24 All-America selections. UW-Oshkosh quarterback Brett Kasper, a two-time WIAC Offensive Player of the Year, was named the winner of 2017 Gagliardi Trophy for Division III's most outstanding player.

Cerroni joined the Titans as an assistant coach in 2000. He came to UW-Oshkosh after three seasons as the head coach of Menomonee Falls High School. In 1997, he guided the Indians to a 7-4 record and an upset victory of defending state champion Hartland Arrowhead High School in the first round of the WIAA Division 1 Playoffs.

Prior to Menomonee Falls, Cerroni was an assistant coach at Hartland Arrowhead and Waukesha Catholic Memorial high schools. During Cerroni’s four seasons at Waukesha Catholic Memorial High School, he helped the Crusaders to Wisconsin Independent Schools Athletic Association Division 1 state titles in 1993 and 1996.

Cerroni and his UW-Oshkosh football team have performed several community services projects over the past seven years, including events associated with the Oshkosh Boys & Girls Club, Oshkosh YMCA, Habitat for Humanity, Old Glory Honor Flight, Gus Macker 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament and Feeding America. In 2015, Cerroni received the Excellence In Leadership Award for his work with Be The Match®, a National Marrow Donor Program in which six of his players have donated to.

A veteran of the U.S. Air Force (1984-88), Cerroni earned his bachelor's degree from Carroll University in 1992 and his master's from UW-Oshkosh in 2004. The Johnson Creek native was a member of Carroll University's 1988 football team that shared the CCIW title.

Cerroni and his wife, Tammy, are the parents of daughter, Kali, and son, Kyle.

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