The Wroclaw Panthers have introduced Rick Purcell as defensive back coach. The US-American will also serve as co-defensive coordinator. Purcell is the latest addition to the coaching staff of head coach Craig Kuligowski.

"My priorities start with getting to know the coaches and players. We have a great coaching staff that comes from all over the world. Each one brings something unique to the table", says Purcell. He adds: "Understanding the vision of the organization and Coach Kuligowski is important because that’s the only way we’ll know how to best set up the players for success.”

After his active football career, where he successfully played defensive back at the University of Notre Dame, Purcell became a coach at several schools.  

Successful high school coach

He helped lead the La Salle High School (Cincinnati) to its first state championship in 2014 as the Freshmen Head Coach/Varsity Assistant. Purcell also helped set the foundation for the team's three-year run of titles from 2014 to 2016.

Later he transferred to the Cincinnati Colerain and Warren Central (Indianapolis) High School and won even more titles. Twelve of the student-athletes he coached in high school went on to compete in Division I, and a few more advanced to Division II and III.

On college level, he served as secondary coach and special teams' coordinator at William Paterson University (NJ), where he and the staff helped the program achieve its best record since 2014. Later on, he became the Defensive Quality Control Coach of the Division I College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia.

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