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Contact Coach Hachmann: Matt Hachmann begins his ninth season at Lafayette. After coaching the Leopards' running backs his first season, he will oversee the linebackers for the eighth consecutive campaign. Hachmann, who held the title of special teams coordinator from 2003 to 2006, is now the program's recruiting coordinator. In 2008, Hachmann has the good fortune to coach the reigning Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year Andy Romans and All-Patriot League Second-Team selection Mark Leggiero. Romans led the team in tackles (113) in 2007 while Leggiero was second (77) and both were major contributors on the nation's top-ranked defense. Hachmann mentored Romans to All-Patriot League Second-Team honors at linebacker in 2006, one of only three sophomores to earn all-league recognition. Romans led the team with 109 tackles. In 2005, all three of Lafayette's senior linebackers - Maurice Bennett, Blake Costanzo and Dion Witherspoon - were named All-Patriot League. Bennett earned All-America honors, including first team mention from The Sports Network and the Associated Press, and was named first team All-Patriot League after leading the league with 133 tackles last season and 119 stops in 2004. Bennett was also a finalist for the Buchanan Award and earned a tryout with the Chicago Bears following graduation. Costanzo was second team All-Patriot League each of his last two seasons and finished his career with 307 tackles and 18 sacks. He signed a three-year contract with the New York Jets following the 2006 NFL Draft and played for the Rhein Fire in 2007, earning All-NFL Europa honors. He played in several games for the Buffalo Bills in 2007-08. Hachmann's influence on the special teams could be seen through the success of the team's kick returner Larry Johnson and punt returner Brandon Stanford, both 2006 graduates. Johnson holds the single-season record for kick return yardage (625 yards) and average return (27.5) while Stanford holds the single-season punt return yardage record (438 yards). Hachmann has served on the football staff at four different BCS programs, most recently as the offensive assistant and director of football operations at Maryland. He was involved with all game plan sessions and offensive strategy meetings and was responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the football office and directed the in-house operations in regards to recruiting. A 1993 graduate of the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn. with a bachelor's degree in Marketing Management, Hachmann was a three-year letterwinner for the football team that was a Division III quarterfinalist in 1990. He was also a two-year letterwinner on the baseball squad, earning most improved player honors as a senior. Hachmann served as the assistant offensive line coach at the University of Oklahoma for the 1997 and 1998 seasons. He spent the 1995 and 1996 seasons at Northern Illinois University, also serving as the assistant offensive line coach. While associated with both Oklahoma and Northern Illinois, he pursued a master of science degree in sports management. Following graduation from St. Thomas, Hachmann served as the recruiting assistant at Northwestern University for the 1994 season. Born in Queens, N.Y., and raised in Chicago, Hachmann and his wife, Kimberly, are the proud parents of three children - Rien, Jake and Justin. |
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