Drew Christ enters his eighth season in UAlbany’s program and his first season at the defensive coordinator position in 2013. Primarily working with the defensive backs, Christ is making his second tour as a member of Bob Ford's coaching staff; Christ previously served as a graduate assistant, working with the outside linebackers.
Under Christ’s direction, safety Leon Saddler earned all-conference honors in 2011-12, while the Great Danes captured back-to-back NEC titles. In addition, Jake Ciccarello earned all-NEC honors in 2011.
Christ coached Dave Casale, a two-time All-Northeast Conference free safety, who went on to sign with the Canadian Football League's Montreal Alouettes. His secondary ranked first among the NEC leaders in scoring defense when the Great Danes won the 2008 league championship. Christ recruits in Western Pennsylvania, Northern Ohio and Buffalo.
Christ, 38, previously served as the University of Rochester's defensive coordinator. He spent the prior three years as secondary coach under Al Bagnoli at the University of Pennsylvania. The Quakers won Ivy League championships in 2002 and 2003 during his stay with the program.
In 1998, Christ began his coaching career at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, where he handled the defensive backs and placekickers for three seasons and recruited Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
A native of Bay Village, Ohio, Christ was an all-conference and honorable mention all-state scholastic defensive player. He went on to star at the University of Chicago, where he was a three-time All-University Athletic Association defensive back and kicker. He was voted special teams MVP for four consecutive years and received the overall most valuable player award as a senior. Christ played in the Professional Indoor Football League with the Madison Maddawgs.
He is married to the former Sarah Zaborowski, who was awarded the UAlbany field hockey program's most valuable player award in 2001.
