Anna Maria College Names Tanner Kingsley As Next Head Football Coach
Paxton, MA….Anna Maria College and the Department of Athletics announced today that Tanner Kingsley '20 will be the next Head Coach for AMCAT Football starting in the 2025 season. He will officially begin his head coaching duties on January 1, 2025. Kingsley is in his fifth year on the Anna Maria College coaching staff and his promotion follows the retirement announcement earlier today of Head Coach Steve Croce after the 2024 season.
Kingsley is currently the Associate Head Coach, Offensive Coordinator, and Quarterbacks Coach for the AMCATS. The 2024 AMCATS feature a quarterback who is 11th in the country in passing yards and the team is ranked 13th nationally in passing offense. As Offensive Coordinator, Kingsley's 2022 and 2023 AMCATS ranked top 10 nationally in passing offense, and in 2023, the AMCATS were 8th in the national for total offense.
"I am truly honored to be the next Head Football Coach at Anna Maria College. There is no place that I would rather be," said Coach Kingsley. "I believe that a great culture makes a great football team which is why our AMCAT football family grows stronger every day. Our coaches work tirelessly to give our student-athletes the best college football experience. I am forever grateful to Coach Croce and his predecessor Coach Mulrooney and will take everything I learned from them to keep moving our program forward."
Coach Kingsley started as quarterback for the AMCATS in 2019 and graduated from Anna Maria with a psychology degree in 2020. Before transferring to Anna Maria for his senior season, Kingsley played quarterback at Central Connecticut State University (2015-2018). Before CCSU, he attended East Coast Prep in Great Barrington, Massachusetts where he started every game at quarterback.
"I want to personally thank Athletic Director Joe Brady and President Mary Lou Retelle for this opportunity. The overwhelming amount of support from them and the entire Anna Maria community has me very excited for this opportunity," said Kingsley. "Aligned with the Athletic Departments vision, we will set our student athletes up with success on the field and in every aspect of their daily lives."
Originally from Beacon Falls, CT, Kingsley attended Woodland Regional High School. He was a three-sport athlete at Woodland Regional, received All-State honors in baseball, basketball, and football, and served as captain in each sport. Kingsley was named Woodland Regional's Athlete of the Decade (2010-2020) and still holds the Connecticut state record for career touchdown passes with 113.
"I am excited to have Tanner take over as the next head football coach for the AMCATS following the 2024 season", commented Director of Athletics Joe Brady '96. "Tanner is ready to lead this program as we enter our new conference and his experiences as a player, assistant coach, and coordinator have prepared him well for this new role on the sideline. The program has great momentum and I am confident with Tanner's leadership we will continue to go in a positive direction."
"Tanner has proven himself as a player and a coach and I look forward to watching him lead the team forward," said Anna Maria College President Mary Lou Retelle. "Our football program is positioned well as we enter the MASCAC under Tanner's leadership."
About Anna Maria College
Founded in 1946 and located in Paxton, Massachusetts, Anna Maria College is a private, co-educational institution inspired by the ideals of the Sisters of Saint Anne. We prepare our students to become ethical leaders by combining a values-based, service-focused education with strong functional knowledge and the skills necessary to address the rapidly changing needs of their world. Anna Maria delivers undergraduate and graduate degrees along with certificate programs on campus and online. For more information, visit www.annamaria.edu.
