Image courtesy of Holy Cross Athleticcs.

Holy Cross has named Dan Curran as the school’s new head football coach, replacing Bob Chesney who left for James Madison last week. Curran spent the past 11 seasons at Merrimack, helping elevate the program from a Division II program in the NE-10 to a Division I program in the NEC.

Curran is the all-time winningest coach in Merrimack history with 53 victories, and he led the Warriors to the Northeast Conference championship game in 2022 and 2023. Curran’s 2022 team tied the school single-season record with eight wins. At one point last season, the Warriors had a seven-game winning streak and receiving votes in the top 25 for four consecutive weeks. Remarkable considering last season was just the program’s third full season at the Division I level.

In the school’s release, Holy Cross Athletic Director Kit Hughes talked about why Curran was such a good fit for the school.

“Holy Cross football has established its reputation as arguably the best place in Division I to pursue both an elite undergraduate degree and compete nationally at the highest level,” Hughes said. “Worcester has become a place for outstanding students, athletes and people to develop themselves in every dimension of their lives, and I could not be more excited to enhance that reputation under Coach Curran’s leadership. His deep understanding of Holy Cross, our values as a Jesuit Catholic institution, our commitment to academic excellence, and demonstrated ability to build and lead a quality and highly respected program helped him to distinguish himself throughout an incredibly competitive process. Coach Curran embraces not just the program that we are currently, but the one that we can be. His respect for the past, vision for the future and enthusiasm for the present will serve our student-athletes, College and community incredibly well moving forward.”

Curran will be a familiar face to Crusader fans. Holy Cross and Merrimack have squared off in recent years. The Warriors beat Holy Cross in Worcester during the 2021 season. Curran is excited for the opportunity to lead the Crusaders.

“It’s an absolute pleasure and honor to be named the next head football coach at Holy Cross,” Curran said. “I would like to thank President Vincent Rougeau, Kit Hughes and Nick Smith for this wonderful opportunity. Holy Cross is truly a special place, one where our student-athletes can have an elite academic experience, compete for championships and be a part of an amazing community. My family and I are thrilled to now be a part of the Holy Cross community, and could not be more excited to get to work and compete for championship number 12.”

Throughout his career, Curran has recruited and developed nine All-Americans, 50 all-conference players and 10 NFL free agents.

Prior to becoming the head coach at Merrimack, Curran spent three seasons as Warriors’ offensive coordinator from 2010-2012. Merrimack led the Northeast-10 Conference in total offense during each of his three years as offensive coordinator. Curran was hired after playing professional football for eight years. He spent time with the Seattle Seahawks and New Orleans Saints of the National Football League, as well as the New Orleans Voodoo and Georgia Force of the Arena Football League.

The Chelmsford High School alum played for Bruce Rich and is in the school’s hall of fame. Curran is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire where he earned earned All-Atlantic 10 honors after rushing for over 1,000 yards and scoring 16 touchdowns in his senior season for head coach Sean McDonnell and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly.

Curran replaces Bob Chesney who took the Crusader program to unprecedented heights, winning five Patriot League titles and making three playoff appearances and an overall record of 44-21.