After two seasons on Austin Peay’s staff, Joe Pappalardo was promoted to a full-time role as co-special teams coordinator and ‘Govs Back’ coach in February 2022. Pappalardo was elevated to special teams coordinator in January 2023.
Pappalardo worked primarily with the Governors specialists during his time as co-special teams coordinator, helping kicker Maddux Trujillo and punter Matt Rigney earn All-ASUN in 2022 after both were named Second Team All-Ohio Valley Conference following the 2021 season.
In his first two seasons in Clarksville, Pappalardo served as a quality control coach and co-special teams coordinator. Before joining Walden’s inaugural staff at Austin Peay in 2021, Pappalardo spent a season at Southern Miss where he worked primarily with the Golden Eagles’ special teams unit, first as a quality control coach and then as special teams and offensive graduate assistant, working primarily with tight ends.
A Reading, Massachusetts native, Pappalardo is a 2019 graduate of UMass Dartmouth, where he was a student assistant coach on the Corsairs football team, working with defensive backs and special teams. He coached sophomore safety Tony Slaughter, who was a Second Team All-Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference pick with a team-high three interceptions.
PAPPALARDO’S CAREER SUMMARY
Austin Peay (2020-23)
2023: Elevated to special teams coordinator in January.
2022: Promoted to a full-time role as co-special teams coordinator following 2021 season with added duties as ‘Govs Backs’ coach. Pappalardo worked primarily with the Governors specialists, with kicker Maddux Trujillo connecting on 44 PATs and 11 field goals, including a program-record tying 55 -yard field goal against Jacksonville State. Trujillo finished the season with the second-best PAT total and fifth-best field goal total in Austin Peay history. In the punting game, Pappalardo coached Matt Rigney to average 40.89 yards per kick en route to finishing his APSU career as the program’s career punting average leader at 39.63 yards per punt. Pappalardo also guided kickoff specialist Riley Stephens, who averaged 62.5 yards per kick with 34 touchbacks on 65 attempts. Trujillo and Rigney both earned all-conference honors for the second-straight season under Pappalardo’s tutelage. Also working with the ‘Govs Backs,’ Pappalardo helped the Austin Peay offense record 2,580 passing yards and 2,082 rushing yards – marking the first time in program history the Govs have totaled 2,000-plus yards on the ground and in the air.
2021: In his first season as co-special teams coordinator, he coached freshman kicker Maddux Trujillo match the Austin Peay single-season record of 14 made field goals. Trujillo also posted a 77.8 field-goal percentage – breaking the program’s single-season record which had stood since 1994 – and made a field goal in eight-straight games (every game of his career) where he has attempted a kick, extending his own program record. Trujillo and sophomore punter Matt Rigney – who posted a 40.73 average, 14 kicks downed inside the 20, seven 50-plus yard boots, and just three touchbacks – both earned Second Team All-OVC honors.
2020: Spent his first season in Clarksville as a special teams quality control coach.
SOUTHERN MISS (2020)
2020: Worked with Scotty Walden at Southern Miss where he served as a quality control coach for the Golden Eagles special teams unit before becoming a special teams and offensive graduate assistant, working primarily with USM’s tight ends.
UMASS DARTMOUTH (2015-19)
2015-2019: As a student assistant coach, assisted with the Corsairs’ defensive backs and special teams while earning his bachelor’s degree.
