Ray Tellier
Encyclopedia
Ray Tellier is an American football coach and athletic administrator. He is best known for his 14 years as the head coach at Columbia.
Tellier grew up in West Haven, Connecticut
and was a high school football All-American, playing for his father in 1968. He would attend the University of Connecticut
and lead that team to the Yankee Conference
title in 1971.
After graduating from Connecticut in 1973, Tellier entered the coaching ranks, serving as an assistant at Connecticut, Dartmouth
, and Boston University
during the 1970s. In 1978 he became offensive coordinator
at Brown University under coach John Anderson. Brown was experiencing a revival in football at the time and Tellier's time there was a successful one.
When Anderson resigned in 1983, Tellier moved on to become head coach (for the first time) at Division III University of Rochester
. He would turn the moribund program around over the next five years, going 9-2 and making the Division III playoffs for the first time in school history in 1987. His overall record at Rochester was 21-26-1.
In 1989 Tellier was hired by Columbia and asked to revive their program (which had just broken a 44-game losing streak) in a similar fashion. His results were mixed. Significant improvement did not begin to be seen until 1994 and in 1996 the team would win 8 games for the first time since 1945. But thereafter the team slowly declined again until by 2002 the team was again winless in the Ivy League
. Tellier stepped aside at the end of that season and joined the administrative side of the athletic department. In 2005 he was appointed an Associate Athletics Director and continues to serve in that capacity.
Tellier grew up in West Haven, Connecticut
West Haven, Connecticut
West Haven is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 52,721.-History:...
and was a high school football All-American, playing for his father in 1968. He would attend the University of Connecticut
University of Connecticut
The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...
and lead that team to the Yankee Conference
Yankee Conference
The Yankee Conference was a collegiate sports conference in the eastern United States. It once sponsored competition in many sports, but eventually became a football-only league...
title in 1971.
After graduating from Connecticut in 1973, Tellier entered the coaching ranks, serving as an assistant at Connecticut, Dartmouth
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
, and Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
during the 1970s. In 1978 he became offensive coordinator
Offensive coordinator
An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of a gridiron football team who is in charge of the offense. Generally, along with his defensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
at Brown University under coach John Anderson. Brown was experiencing a revival in football at the time and Tellier's time there was a successful one.
When Anderson resigned in 1983, Tellier moved on to become head coach (for the first time) at Division III University of Rochester
University of Rochester
The University of Rochester is a private, nonsectarian, research university in Rochester, New York, United States. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The university has six schools and various interdisciplinary programs.The...
. He would turn the moribund program around over the next five years, going 9-2 and making the Division III playoffs for the first time in school history in 1987. His overall record at Rochester was 21-26-1.
In 1989 Tellier was hired by Columbia and asked to revive their program (which had just broken a 44-game losing streak) in a similar fashion. His results were mixed. Significant improvement did not begin to be seen until 1994 and in 1996 the team would win 8 games for the first time since 1945. But thereafter the team slowly declined again until by 2002 the team was again winless in the Ivy League
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
. Tellier stepped aside at the end of that season and joined the administrative side of the athletic department. In 2005 he was appointed an Associate Athletics Director and continues to serve in that capacity.