Meet Defensive Assistant Defensive Backs/Safeties Coach Steve Thames

Bronx, N.Y. - The Fordham University football squad features a number of new faces on the sidelines in 2018 as, along with new head coach Joe Conlin, the Rams welcome eight new assistant coaches to Rose Hill. This spring we'll get to know the new coaches, today catching up with assistant defensive backs and safeties coach Steve Thames.
 
Thames arrives at Fordham after serving as an assistant at Dartmouth College the past two years. In 2016 he served as the offensive quality control/assistant wide receivers coach for the Big Green before being elevated to the running backs/returners coach in 2017. The Big Green closed out the 2017 season with a 54-44 win over Princeton where running back Jared Gerbino gained 202 yards and scored four touchdowns, becoming the first Dartmouth player in six years to top 200 rushing yards in a game. Dartmouth finished the year ranked third in the Ivy League in rushing, averaging 180.0 yards/game. Following the season two Big Green running backs received All-Ivy honors with Hunter Hagdorn placed on the second team and Ryder Stone being named honorable mention.
 
In his first year in Hanover, Thames assisted the offensive coordinator with the day-to-day objectives and helped mentor Ivy League Rookie of the Year Hunter Hagdorn.
 
A 2015 graduate of New Hampshire with a degree in sociology, Thames was a valuable defensive back throughout his four years, playing in 46 games while collecting 122 tackles and intercepting seven passes, three of which he returned for touchdowns. The Wildcats reached the FCS Playoffs in each of his four seasons, winning CAA titles in 2012 and 2014, advancing as far as the semifinals during his junior campaign. He earned All-CAA honors as a senior in 2014.  
 
Thames quickly got into college coaching after finishing up at UNH, serving as an intern with the football team at James Madison, which shared the Colonial Athletic Association crown in 2015. He worked directly with the Dukes' secondary and was responsible for weekly film breakdown and scouting reports.