Ed Pinkham returns for his second season on the Rutgers staff as the secondary coach. Pinkham will also serve as co-defensive coordinator beginning in 2009. Prior to joining the Scarlet Knights, Pinkham spent 12 seasons in charge of the defensive unit at Colgate.
Pinkham managed a defensive secondary that ranked second in the BIG EAST Conference in passing defense. The group also boasted a pair of NFL Draft selections in cornerback Jason McCourty (Tennessee Titans) and safety Courtney Greene (Seattle Seahawks).
At Colgate, Pinkham was promoted to associate head coach following the conclusion of the 2005 campaign, while continuing his duties as defensive coordinator. He spent 10 years coaching the secondary for the Raiders, while overseeing the linebacking corps his final two years at Colgate.
During Pinkham’s tenure at Colgate, the Raiders captured five Patriot League titles and earned five trips to the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. The defensive unit led the Patriot League in total defense in 1999, 2003, 2004 and 2006, and three times paced the league in rushing defense.
Pinkham’s defensive unit ranked top-10 in the nation in rushing defense three times, twice in passing defense and once in total defense. The Raiders were fifth in the nation in pass efficiency defense and ninth in total defense in 2004.
His defensive unit has produced 37 All-Patriot League performers, three Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year honorees, two All-Americans; and as secondary coach, 15 players have been selected all-league.
In 1999, he directed the Raiders to one of their greatest defensive efforts while setting the school record for fewest total yards and rushing yards allowed in a season.
In his two seasons coaching Colgate’s linebackers, Mike Gallihugh led the nation in tackling in 2006 and was named a two-time Second Team All-America. He was twice a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, given to the top defensive player in the Football Championship Subdivision.
With over 30 years of coaching experience, Pinkham began his coaching career at Allegheny in 1975 where he coached the wide receivers before adding secondary duties in his second year with the Gators.
He left Allegheny for a 12-year stint at the University of New Hampshire, where he was secondary coach during his entire stay and defensive coordinator the last seven seasons. In 1989, he joined the staff at the University of Minnesota as secondary coach.
In the four seasons prior to Colgate, Pinkham was defensive coordinator and associate head coach at the College of the Holy Cross. For the first two seasons he coached the outside linebackers, before moving over to the secondary.
Pinkham was a four-year starter at free safety while at Allegheny, where he earned all-President’s Athletic Conference honors all four years. In his senior year, he received second team Associated Press All-America honors, and served as captain of the Gators’ conference winning team.
Pinkham, a native of Clark, N.J., graduated from Allegheny College in 1975 with a degree in economics. He and his wife, Karen, have three children: Matt, Kelly, and Jessie.
