After serving with Tom Masella at Central Connecticut in 2004 and 2005, Charlie Pravata followed Masella to Fordham to serve as the tight ends coach in 2006, a position for which he will be responsible again this fall. Pravata assisted with the offensive line at Central Connecticut staff for two years, helping the Blue Devils to back-to-back Northeast Conference titles. A former head coach at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Pravata guided the Mariners to a 66-47-2 record over 12 years (1992-2003) en route to becoming the Academy's all-time winningest football coach. His squad made post season appearances five times, including 1994 when the Mariners went 7-2 and were invited to play in the NCAA Division III Championships for the first time in the program's history. In his final season at Kings Point in 2002, the Mariners went 8-3 and appeared in the ECAC South Atlantic Championship game. Pravata took over as head coach at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy after serving as an assistant coach for the Mariners for seven years, the last four as the offensive coordinator. Pravata started his coaching career at his alma mater, Lincoln High School in Brooklyn in 1972. He was elevated to head coach in 1978 and directed Lincoln to a four-year record of 28-8, including two appearances in the Public Schools Athletic League playoffs. He was selected to serve as a head coach in the annual Brooklyn-Staten Island Scholastic All-Star game. After earning an Associate of Liberal Arts degree in 1969 at Taft Junior College in California, Pravata received a bachelors' degree in physical education from Adelphi University in 1972. He would also earn a Master's Degree in Physical Education from Brooklyn College in 1976. Pravata started for two years at fullback at Taft and then was a starter for two years at linebacker at Adelphi. Pravata resides in Levittown, N.Y. and has three sons: Chris, Chuck and Craig.