Chris Pincince joined the Elon staff in February 2011 and serves as the offensive coordinator as well as the quarterbacks and running backs coach.
Pincince came to Elon after serving as the offensive coordinator at the University of Rhode Island for three seasons.
In his first season with the maroon and gold, Pincince saw his offense lead the Southern Conference and rate 14th nationally with an average of 281.45 passing yards per game. Elon’s offense averaged 383.27 yards per game.
His attack also allowed wide receiver Aaron Mellette to thrive as the junior led all of FCS in both receptions per game (10.27) and receiving yards per game (149.00) on his way to finishing fifth in the voting for the Walter Payton Award and being named to seven All-America squads. Mellette’s 1,639 receiving yards set a new Elon and SoCon record. Junior quarterback Thomas Wilson passed for a league-leading 3,057 yards and 23 touchdowns. Wilson ranked 14th in the country in total offense.
In 2012, Pincince’s offense led the SoCon and ranked 12th nationally with 296.73 passing yards per game. The Phoenix offense averaged 385.09 yards per outing.
Mellette, a first-team all-league honoree, once again put up outstanding numbers as he led the league with 1,398 receiving yards and 18 touchdown catches on his way to All-America honors. Mellette became the first Elon player to be invited to the Senior Bowl and was picked in the seventh round of the NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens. He also finished eighth in the voting for the Walter Payton Award.
Wilson was a second-team all-conference selection, while running back Tracey Coppedge earned SoCon All-Freshman Team recognition.
Upon arriving at Rhode Island, Pincince installed the spread offense and the change was immediate as the Rams ranked fifth in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) in passing offense in 2008.
Pincince also spent four seasons at the College of the Holy Cross, including the final two years as the program’s offensive coordinator. In 2007, the Holy Cross offense led the Patriot League in scoring (35.9 ppg), passing (335.2 ypg), total offense (463.4 ypg) and first downs (272). Crusaders quarterback Dominic Randolph led the league in passing (3,604 yards), touchdown passes (30) and total offense (340.1 ypg) and finished 12th in the balloting for the Walter Payton Award. Pincince’s two seasons at Holy Cross were spent as the wide receivers coach.
Prior to his stint at Holy Cross, Pincince served as the offensive coordinator at Ursinus College for the 2003 season. In 2002, Pincince was the quarterbacks coach at Brown University. Pincince has also had two tenures at the University of New Haven and spent two seasons at Fairfield University.
A 1994 graduate of Boston University with a degree in mathematics, Pincince was a member of the Terriers’ 1993 Yankee Conference title team and played on two NCAA Division I-AA playoff teams.
Pincince and his wife, Jennifer, have two sons, Zachary and Owen, and a daughter, Emma. Pincince is a native of Woonsocket, R.I.Â
