Michael Toerper (Ter-per) completed his third season as head coach of the Ithaca College football program in 2024. Toerper was named as the 11th head coach of the Ithaca College football program on February 18, 2022.
IC went 6-4 during Toerper's third season at the helm as the Bombers allowed 12.5 points per game and faced four tournament teams, including the 2023 defending national champions. The Bombers placed 15 players on All-Liberty League Teams, while Jake Connolly was the Co-Defensive Player of the Year and a First Team All-American by D3football.com.
The 2023 season saw IC repeat as Liberty League champions with a perfect 6-0 record. The Bombers would finish the season at 9-3 as Toerper and his staff were named Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year. IC reached the second round of the NCAA Championship and defeated Springfield in the first round, 21-7. Ithaca played the hardest schedule in Division III this season and 17 players were named All-Liberty League, including Offensive Player of the Year Jalen Leonard-Osbourne and Defensive Player of the Year Ben Stola.
In his first season as head coach in 2022, Toerper guided the Bombers to one of their most historic seasons in program history. The Bombers finished 12-1 and reached the NCAA Division III Quarterfinals. IC secured its first undefeated regular season since 1986 and claimed its first outright Liberty League title with a 31-28 win over Union. The regular season was capped off with a 34-17 win over Cortland in the 63rd Cortaca Jug Game at Yankee Stadium, which was filled by 40,232 fans. Toerper would go on to be named AFCA Region 1 Coach of the Year, as well as D3football.com Region 2 Coach of the Year and the Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year. Sixteen players were named All-Liberty League, including the Offensive (A.J. Wingfield), Defensive (Matt DeSimpliciis) and Special Teams (Nicholas Bahamonde) Players of the Year.
Toerper, who is no stranger to the IC program, served as the defensive coordinator for the Bombers from 2017-19. He then departed to become the safeties coach at Division I Holy Cross for the past two seasons and contributed to turning that Crusaders defense into one of the top units in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) in 2021.
Holy Cross, which posted a 10-3 record and won the Patriot League, reached the second round this past fall after securing the program's first-ever FCS playoffs victory in the opening round against Sacred Heart, 13-10. The Crusader defense allowed just 254.5 yards (ranked 1st in FCS) and 18.5 points per game (ranked 14th). Holy Cross also intercepted the fourth-most passes in the country with 18, returning three for touchdowns.
During his time as the defensive coordinator with the Bombers, Toerper developed three players into All-Americans – Pat Minogue, John Hadac, and Nick Garone.
In his first season as defensive coordinator, in 2017, Toerper guided a stingy unit that allowed just 15.3 points and 284.6 yards per game - the lowest in both categories since 2012. Seven players on the defense earned Liberty League postseason awards.
During the 2018 campaign, IC's defense was even more dominant. Ithaca allowed 12.8 points per contest and 259.5 yards. The defensive unit ranked among the nation's best all season in points allowed, rush yards allowed, total defense, and third down conversion percentage. At the conclusion of the regular season, all 11 starters on the defense were named All-Liberty League, and Minogue was named Liberty League Defensive Player of the Year, as well as a First-Team All-American by the AFCA and Third-Team All-American by D3football.com.
In 2019, Hadac and Garone were named All-Americans under the guidance of Toerper.
A 2008 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, Toerper had a seven-year stint at Johns Hopkins University before arriving at IC. While at Hopkins, Toerper spent three seasons (2010-12) as the wide receivers coach and was elevated to special teams coordinator and defensive backs coach in 2013. He also took over recruiting coordinator duties in 2014. Hopkins won the Centennial Conference championships all seven seasons in which Toerper was part of the staff.
Under his watch as receivers coach, the Blue Jays averaged 473 yards of total offense per game. Toerper mentored the 2010 Centennial Conference Offensive Player of the Year, Sam Wernick, who caught 69 passes for 1,265 yards and 17 touchdowns that season. He also oversaw the development of Dan Wodicka, who finished his career at Hopkins with 260 receptions for 3,148 yards, which both rank second all-time at the university.
After his move to the other side of the ball, Toerper coached the 2016 Centennial Conference Defensive Player of the Year in Jack Toner, an AFCA First-Team All-American. The Blue Jay pass defense led the Centennial Conference and ranked within the top 25 nationally in passing defense efficiency under Toerper. Nine different defensive backs, as well as a place kicker, were named all-conference under his guidance.
Prior to his arrival in Baltimore to work at Hopkins, Toerper spent one season as a defensive assistant at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh.
As a player for the Division I Pitt Panthers, the York, Pa., native saw action in 36 games over three seasons as a defensive back and special teams contributor. He earned a scholarship with the program after joining the team as a walk-on.
Toerper, and his wife, Leigh – a former track and field standout at Ithaca and 2015 graduate – have two children.
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