A new era of Wisconsin-Oshkosh football is coming after Pat Cerroni announced his retirement on Monday.
In his 15 seasons on the job, Cerroni secured more wins, more conference championships and more Division III playoff appearances than any coach in school history. He will be reassigned to a different position within the university until his retirement becomes official on June 5, 2022.
"Twenty-one years ago, I walked onto this campus and never realized what an impact it would make of my life," Cerroni said. "It has been a great journey. In my time all decisions that we made were based on one simple question: 'What is the best for the football program?'
"It's never easy saying goodbye, and it's hard to know when the best time is to walk away. I feel in my heart this is the perfect opportunity and what is best. My wife and I have been discussing this for over a year and right now it feels right."
He went 109-45 with four Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles and five playoff trips. Oshkosh had made three D-III playoff trips in the 61 years prior to Cerroni's appointment.
Cerroni's 2012 team was likely his best. That year, the Titans went undefeated in the regular season and reached the Division III semifinals. He won coach of the year honors from the WIAC, the AFCA and D3Football.com.
In 2016, Oshkosh finished second in the WIAC but upset St. Thomas in the quarterfinals and reached the program's only D-III national championship game, falling 10-7 to Mary Hardin-Baylor.
Oshkosh also reached the semifinals in 2017 and the quarterfinals in 2015.
Cerroni won a total of six conference or regional coach of the year awards and coached 57 All-WIAC players and 19 All-Americans.
The Titans finished 6-3 this seasons, allowing Cerroni to exit with 10 straight winning seasons and 11 straight top-4 finishes in the WIAC.
"All of us in the UW-Oshkosh community are very grateful for Pat's contributions," said UW-Oshkosh assistant chancellor for athletics Darryl Sims. "Pat has galvanized our fan base with his accomplishments and helped our football program gain respect throughout the nation. In addition, Pat has mentored young men and led them to success on the field, in the classroom and in life, while serving as a great ambassador for our university. I know the entire Titan Nation joins me in wishing Pat the best in his retirement. He is indeed a true Titan!"
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