Chadd Braine joined the Saint Anselm College football program as the squad’s Defensive Backs Coach and Special Teams Coordinator prior to the 2019 season.
With his assistance in 2019, the Hawks recorded their first three-game winning streak in five seasons and had a single-season record 12 student-athletes earn Northeast-10 All-Conference honors. The Hawks played an arduous schedule in 2019, including three non-conference games - all Hawks opponents on the season combined to win 52 games, the strongest win total of any NE10 program's opponents.
As the program's special teams coordinator, he has overseen and developed a unit that has made significant gains in several key statistics. Net punting, average kick-off return yardage, kick-off return defense and punt returns all saw dramatic improvements from 2018 to 2019.
Most recently in 2019, the team averaged a program-record 21.9 yards per kick return, ranking in the top-50 programs in NCAA Division II. Additionally, the team tacked on an average of more than seven yards per punt between 2018 to 2019 and limited opponents to under 20 yards per kick return, moving from 156th in the country (2018) to 61st nationally (2019).
Under Braine's supervision, Saint Anselm logged two punt return touchdowns, a kick return touchdown (first since 2012), a score off a blocked punt and another off a blocked field goal in 2019. The Hawks had previously logged a punt return touchdown during the 2015 season.
Braine comes to the Hilltop after four seasons as the Defensive Coordinator for East Stroudsburg. With the Warriors in 2017, Braine mentored a defensive unit that led all divisions of NCAA college football in forced fumbles per game (3.09) while ranking second in fumble recoveries (23) and fifth nationally with 31 takeaways.
Mentoring 10 All-Conference selections during his tenure, Braine recruited the state of New Jersey and directed the team’s youth and prospect camps. He was also the director of the “Be The Match” Bone Marrow Registry Drive and the institution’s annual “Breakfast with the Warriors”, hosting local youth organizations on campus.
Braine also spent five years at William Paterson University from January 2008 through April 2013, finishing his stint with the Pioneers the Defensive Coordinator and Linebackers Coach. He coached several defensive units that ranked in the top-10 in NCAA Division III in pass defense, total defense and scoring defense.
Prior to William Paterson, Braine was the Linebackers and Defensive Backs coach at the Michigan Technological Institute before his promotion to Defensive Coordinator in 2006. He has also served as a defensive coach at South Dakota and Ferrum.
A four-year letterman in football that started 27 games at East Stroudsburg, Braine graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Health with a certification in Physical Education in 1999 before achieving a master’s degree in Physical Education with a focus in Sport Management in 2001. The defensive back was a Second Team All-PSAC selection as a senior.
A six-time letterman in indoor and outdoor track and field, he captained the team as a senior and was an all-conference selection in the 55M and the 100M, setting a school record at the time in the latter event.
