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THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF FORDHAM UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
Joe DeSantis

Joe DeSantis

  • Title
    Assistant Coach
Joe DeSantis is the newsest addition to the Fordham staff, joining the Rams in December of 2009.

He brings 25 years of NCAA Division I college coaching experience to Rose Hill, most recently as the head coach at Quinnipiac University from 1996-2007, where he mentored Fordham head coach Jared Grasso from 1998-2002.

Instrumental in elevating the Quinnipiac men's basketball program from the Division II level to a respected Division I mid major program, DeSantis' eleven-year stint leading Quinnipiac was the second-longest tenure in program history. He is second only to legendary coach Burt Kahn, who posted a 459-358 record from 1960-91, in tenure for the Bobcats. In 2005-06, DeSantis became just the third coach in program history to reach the 100-win plateau as he led the Bobcats back to the Northeast Conference (NEC) playoffs.

In 2001-02, Grasso's senior year, Quinnipiac was one of the hottest teams in the nation down the stretch. The Bobcats won four of their final five regular-season games before making a magical run through the NEC Tournament. Quinnipiac edged host Wagner, the No. 2 seed, and third-seeded UMBC en route to a date on national television against No. 1-seeded Central Connecticut State. Despite a valiant effort, the Bobcats fell just short in their first-ever appearance on the ESPN network, a 78-71 loss to the Blue Devils.

In 1988, CBSSportsLine.com named DeSantis its NEC Coach of the Year, and the Bobcats were recognized by the New England Basketball Coaches Association as the Most Improved Division I Team. Prior to his arrival at Quinnipiac, DeSantis served as an assistant coach at four different schools (Fairfield, Duquesne, Pittsburgh and St. John's) over a 14-year span on the Division I level, helping three of the teams to an NCAA Tournament appearance.

DeSantis was a standout player at Fairfield from 1975-79, completing his collegiate career with 1,916 points (currently second all-time) and 667 assists (also currently second). He is also the leader in the Stags' record book for career free-throw percentage (.849) and averaged 18.4 points per game as a collegian.