Staff taking shape

Salem CC adds Crowley, Troy to its football coaching staff, Accorsi designates coordinators

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CARNEYS POINT – Salem CC football coach Jay Accorsi has added two assistants to his coaching staff and designated coordinator assignments just in time for the start of the program’s first spring practice Monday.

Accorsi on Wednesday confirmed the appointments of Chris Crowley and Damon Troy to join previously hired Joe Dougherty as his assistants. Their contracts are expected to be ratified by the school’s board of trustees April 9.

“I think it’s the start of a really great staff, which I knew would be kind of the easier pieces to put together,” Accorsi said. “I’m super ecited for both. They’re great, great people moreso than just coaches and I know they’re going to be able to mentor our young men here in this process of being in the community college and starting up, so I’m really, really excited that both of them are joining us.”

Crowley, a former head coach at Woodrow Wilson and Deptford high schools, will serve as the Mighty Oaks’ offensive coordinator with his position specialty still to be determined. Dougherty, who has been with the program since Accorsi was approved as head coach, will be the defensive coordinator and coach linebackers. Troy, a former Penn State and Rowan player, will coach defensive backs and likely be the assistant special teams coordinator.

Accorsi will be the special teams coordinator.

“I think it’s important as the head coach that I be involved in all the players,” he said. “Even though I was enticed to be one of either the offensive or defensive coordinator, I think it’s important I get to know all the players, which, really, special teams you’re involved with all the players.”

Crowley was head coach at Woodrow Wilson (now Camden Eastside) from 2008-11 and Deptford’s coach from 2014-2016 with a year as a Paul VI assistant in between. His Woodrow Wilson teams went 21-20, winning a WJFL Independence Division title in 2011. His Deptford teams were 9-21, but each won more games than the year before.

“Chris I’ve known for a long time,” Accorsi said. “He impressed me when he was the head coach at Woodrow Wilson High School (and) personally drove a player over (to Rowan) one day later on in the recruiting process and that player ended up being a really good player for us and a great young man … so that really impressed me when I met him early on.

“I’ve known him for a long time in all his different stints and a lot of different positions he was at, but that one struck me at Woodrow Wilson. He just really impressed me in that environment that he was in that I think will be able to give him some great experience to be in the environment and young men we’re with here. He’s somebody I had on the radar early in the process and certainly it worked out.”

Troy was one of Middle Township’s all-time best quarterbacks and an all-conference defensive back for then-assistant coach Accorsi at Rowan in 1997 and 1998 after transferring from Penn State. He helped the Profs to back-to-back appearances in the Division III national title game. 

“He was a great player for us,” Accorsi said. “What really impressed me about Damon when he was a player was he took a lot of younger players under his wing and really helped them in a lot of other areas besides football. He reached out to me in the process early on and had an interest getting into college coaching and I think it’s just a natural fit. He was somebody I always knew would be a great coach and had an interest in jumping in doing it. He’s going to be phenomenal.”

Accorsi said the next critical piece to building the staff is the offensive line coach and that search is continuing.

Salem CC approved bringing football to campus in November with designs on starting play this coming fall. The school recently purchased a piece of property in Carneys Point to serve as its practice field. The coaches expect about a dozen players already enrolled at school to participate in spring drills.

This story will be updated.