BUFFALO, N.Y. — St. Joe's has tabbed a man who found success at every level of football to lead its program.
On Wednesday, the school introduced former NFL player Derek Landri as the fourth head coach in Marauders history.
He replaces Dennis Gilbert, who stepped down because of health concerns.
Landri played high school football California powerhouse De La Salle before heading to college at Notre Dame.
The defensive tackle was a fifth round draft pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars, also playing for the Panthers, Eagles and Bucs. Landri registered 130 tackles and nine sacks during his seven seasons in the NFL.
Landri was an assistant at St. Joe's last season, and now takes over one of the most tradition-rich programs in the region.
"The foundation has been laid by great men that came before me," Landri said. "Now all it is is honing in on that tradition, focusing on a few little things, changing and tweaking a few things and off we're going to go."
His wife grew up in Willimasville and the couple moved to Western New York to raise their family a few years ago.