Fairfield University men's basketball coach Ed Cooley to accept position at Providence College | Press Releases

Fairfield University Director of Athletics Gene Doris announced this evening that Coach Ed Cooley will accept the head coaching position at Providence College after spending the last five seasons as the head coach of the men's basketball program. Cooley will formally accept the position at a news conference on Wednesday, March 23. at 1:30 p.m., in Providence.

Cooley finished his fifth season as the Stags' head coach with a 25-8 overall record and a 15-3 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) mark, setting school records for overall and conference wins in a season. He compiled a 92-69 overall record and led the Stags to their first MAAC outright regular-season championship in 25 years.

"I would like to thank Ed for taking the Fairfield University basketball program to the next level," Doris said. "Through the efforts of Ed and his staff, Fairfield University enjoyed unprecedented success over the last few seasons, which re-energized our alumni, fans, and the entire University community."

"As a native of Providence, Ed has always looked at Providence College as his dream job. I know how much this means to him and his family, and I wish him continued success throughout his career."

While not offering a timeline on naming the next coach, Doris said he has already started the search process. "While we are going to miss Ed, we feel very good heading into this search, knowing how attractive the Fairfield University men's basketball coach position is," Doris said. "The program is in better shape today than the day we hired Ed and we will look for a coach who will represent this great University and take this program to the next level."

Cooley accepted the head coaching position at Fairfield University in April 2006 after serving as an assistant coach at Boston College. In his five seasons, Cooley became the first Fairfield head coach to post a .500 or better conference record in each season he coached the Stags. He also led the Stags to a post-season win in two consecutive years. He led the team to a 62-60 win over Colorado State in the first round of the NIT this year, and posted the biggest comeback in NCAA postseason history when the Stags erased a 27-point second-half deficit to defeat George Mason by a 101-96 count in overtime during the CollegeInsider.com Tournament a year ago.

He was named the inaugural Ben Jobe Award winner after Fairfield went 23-11 during the 2009-10 campaign. The award is presented annually to the top minority coach in Division I college basketball. This season, Cooley was named the District I Coach of the Year by the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) and the National Basketball Coaches Association (NABC).