Bob Colbert came to Saint Vincent in 2006 to bring back varsity football after a 40+ year hiatus.  He built the program from the ground up -- hiring a staff and recruiting players from all over the country to come to Western Pennsylvania for an opportunity to get in on the ground floor of a program rich in history yet brand new.

A native of Pittsburgh’s North Side, Colbert is entering his 40th season as a coach, and has been involved with the game of football for 52 years.  He graduated from North Catholic High School in 1965 where he played  both football (running back) and baseball (catcher) before enrolling at the University of Maryland where he played defensive back and earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in 1971. While at Maryland, he served as Head Football Coach for two years at Gallaudet University, a school which specializes in providing an education for the deaf. Just 23 at the time, he was the youngest head coach in the U.S. and had a record of 3-4 in his first season, the school’s best record in the previous 32 years.

He served as defensive backs coach at Colgate University from 1972 to 1975 before moving to the NFL as an assistant to the defensive staff with the Washington Redskins under Head Coach George Allen (1976) and administrative assistant to the Baltimore Colts (1977-1979) under Head Coach Ted Marchibroda.

He returned to college coaching at Ohio Wesleyan where he was defensive coordinator from 1980 to 1982 at this Division III program in the Ohio Athletic Conference. From 1983 to 1989 he was receivers coach and special teams coordinator at Cornell University which was champion of the Ivy League in 1988. He was offensive line coach in 1990 at Dartmouth which won the Ivy League title that year.

Colbert moved to the Division I-AA program at James Madison University as offensive coordinator for four years (1991 to 1994), twice reaching the NCAA quarterfinals. He was quarterbacks coach in 1996 and became offensive coordinator in 1997 at the University of Massachussetts, another I-AA squad.

From 1998-2005, Colbert was the offensive line coach and offensive coordinator, and more recently, associate head coach at Bridgewater College where the Eagles enjoyed five consecutive league titles in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. They were 64-11 during his final six years and finished 11-2 in 2005, including post-season victories over Washington and Jefferson and Thiel before losing to Wesley College in the Division III national quarterfinals.

Colbert and his wife, Christine, have two children.  Their daughter, Cara Colbert Hopson, resides in Harrisonburg, VA and works for Big Brothers Big Sisters Organization, while their son Bret resides in Greensburg and serves as wide receivers coach for the Bearcats.

Bob's brother, Kevin, is the Director of Football Operations for the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers, which hold their annual summer training camp at Saint Vincent.

Coach Colbert can be e-mailed at bob.colbert@email.stvincent.edu

Coach Rohrer is entering his second year as Defensive Coordinator.

Prior to joining the Bearcats, Rohrer served his second stint at California University of Pennsylvania as Director of Football Operations and Recruiting Coordinator, along with coaching the Outside Linebackers through the 2006 PSAC West Co-Championship Season.  In 1998-1999 Rohrer worked as a Graduate Assistant with Cal while obtaining a Masters Degree in Geography and Regional Planning.

A 1998 graduate of Slippery Rock, Rohrer gained All America honors as a team captain in 1997.  He also helped lead Slippery Rock to the PSAC West title in 1997 and their first ever appearance in the national playoffs. 

Rohrer served as Inside Linebackers Coach at his alma mater from 2000-2002.  In 2000, SRU was Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West Champions and a national playoff team. 

In 2002, he was hired at Shepherd University as a Defensive Line Coach and Recruiting Coordinator. In his second season at Shepherd, Rohrer transitioned to coach the linebackers while enjoying a WVIAC Conference Championship.

In the 2005 season, he added Special Teams Coordinator to his responsibilities and enjoyed another WVIAC conference title while taking part in a perfect 10-0 regular season and a national playoff birth. Rohrer was part of a defense that season that ranked nationally in every major defensive statistic.

Shawn and his wife Kim, reside in New Stanton, PA with their daughter Savanah.

Coach Rohrer can be reached at:
shawn.rohrer@email.stvincent.edu

Coach Colbert, a native of Pittsburgh, has coached all facets of the game -- offense, defense and special teams.  A former offensive lineman for North Carolina State University, his career was cut short by injury, but he soon joined their staff as a student assistant coach. 

With additional coaching experience at Carnegie Mellon University (defensive line), The Kiski School and North Catholic High School (offensive coordinator), Coach Colbert is ready to put his experience in coaching, teaching and counseling to work for the Bearcats. 

Coach Colbert can be reached at bernie.colbert@email.stvincent.edu

Coach Bell not only oversees the defensive line, but also the strength and conditioning program for the Bearcats.

Bell, a resident of Pittsburgh, spent 2004 at Lock Haven University, coaching tackles and tight ends.  He then worked in 2005 as wide receivers and special teams coach at Slippery Rock University.  He began his coaching career in 1993 at Slippery Rock, coaching running backs, outside linebackers and special teams through 1998.  From 1998-2000, he was an assistant coach at Hampton High School in Allison Park, working as the defensive and special teams coordinator as well as the linebackers and secondary coach.

He then moved on to Lock Haven University from 2000-01, where he served as the defensive line coach for two seasons before taking the defensive coordinator position at Saint Joseph's College in Indiana.

Coach Bell is certified by USA Weightlifting as a sports performance coach.  

He can be reached via e-mail at john.bell@email.stvincent.edu.

Bret is entering his third season on the SVC coaching staff, and serves as receivers coach as well as video coordinator and recruiting coordinator. 

He began his coaching career in 2004 at the University of Pittsburgh as a graduate assistant.  At Pitt, he aided in video data entry, and also assisted the special teams coach in breakdown and planning while charting defensive and special teams calls on gameday.

In 2006, Bret moved to Cornell University, helping coach running backs and tight ends as well as serving as a special teams assistant.

A native of Harrisonburg, VA, Bret began his collegiate career at the College of William and Mary, playing wide receiver for three seasons.  He then finished his playing career at Bridgewater College, graduating in 2004 with a degree in Health and Exercise Science. 

He has worked a number of summer camps, including ones held at James Madison, Pitt, Penn State, and Cornell. 

Coach Colbert can be reached at bret.colbert@email.stvincent.edu. 

A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Eric joins the Bearcat staff this year after a four-year career with the University of Pittsburgh.

After redshirting his true freshman season in 2004, Thatcher lettered in 2005, playing in all 11 games.  In 2006, he moved into the starting lineup at free safety, but suffered a season-ending ankle injury in the season's fifth game.  He returned to start all 12 games in 2007, and tied for fourth on the team with 53 tackles.  He was a starter and team leader in 2008, finishing third with 64 tackles.  

He graduated from Pitt in December, 2008 with a double major in Social Sciences and Criminal Justice.  This will be his first coaching position. 

Ron is a veteran of the local high school coaching ranks.  Currently the principal of Ligonier Valley High School, he served as head coach of the school's football team from 1999-2003, guiding the Mounties into the District 6 playoffs in 2000 and 2002. 

He has also been head coach at Uniontown Area (1990-93), Greater Latrobe (1987-89), Derry Area (1985-86), and Greensburg Central Catholic (1981-84).

Coach Baldonieri can be e-mailed at baldonie@wiu.k12.pa.us.

Al, a resident of Ligonier, has served as both offensive and defensive coordinator at Derry Area High School since 1997.

He was the head coach at Ligonier Valley High School in 1996 and '97, and also presided over the Presidio of Monterey semi-pro team in California in 1988 and '89.

In addition to Derry Area, Gaiardo has also held assistant coaching positions at Hempfield, Franklin Regional, and Schenley high schools.

Coach Gaiardo can be reached via e-mail at gaiardo@verizon.net

Coach Widich, a 1968 graduate of Saint Vincent, joined the coaching staff as a defensive assistant in the spring of 2008.  Currently a resident of Bethel Park, he has managed to squeeze in 20 years of coaching during a 35-year career in international and corporate finance with Mellon Bank.  His coaching experience has had a heavy emphasis on teaching fundamentals, including stints with the German American Football League in Frankfurt, Germany, as an assistant high school coach in Tokyo, Japan, and various junior high and youth programs.

The 2009 season will be Phil's second as a student assistant, as he will again work with the Bearcat offense.  A native of Davidsonville, MD and graduate of Archbishop Spalding High School, Hamilton was a two-year football letterwinner, playing quarterback, safety and wide receiver, helping lead his squad to the 2005 Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association championship.  He was a three-sport letterman, as he also played baseball and rugby at Archbishop Spalding. 

He was a member of the Bearcat football team's inaugural recruiting class in 2006, and began the 2007 season as the team's starting quarterback, throwing the first touchdown pass in the reborn Bearcats' history.  He started the first three games of the 2007 campaign, before suffering a season-ending injury.  He then switched his focus to coaching, and has been a valuable member of the staff ever since.  In addition to his coaching experience with the Bearcats, he has also served as a quarterback instructor at the past two Archbishop Spalding summer youth camps.  A solid student, Phil is a Communication major at SVC.