Bio

Rich Petillo is entering his seventh season at the helm of the Mitchell College men's lacrosse program in 2021-22. 

Petillo has spent the past six years rebuilding the Mariners from the ground up. After recording four wins in 2019, the program was poised to make a leap in 2020 before the majority of the season was canceled due to Covid-19. In an abbreviated 2021 campaign, the Mariners posted three wins in eight games. 

Petillo made his collegiate head coaching debut with the Mariners in 2016, leading the team to a 3-1 record in league play and a total of five wins on the season. Mitchell secured the second seed in the NECC Championship and produced five all-conference selections, including three first teamers and the NECC Goalie of the Year.

Prior to his arrival at Mitchell, Petillo served as a volunteer assistant coach at Hartwick College in Oneonta, N.Y. In addition to duties with both the offensive and faceoff units, he also spearheaded the Hawks’ recruiting efforts for two seasons.

Before arriving at Hartwick, Petillo was the head varsity lacrosse coach at Harborfields High School in Greenlawn, N.Y. Prior to that, he was an assistant lacrosse coach with Sachem North High School.

A Long Island native, Petillo was an all-county defenseman for the Sachem High School lacrosse team that won a state championship in 1979. He continued his career at Hofstra University where he was a four-year starter on the lacrosse team and a three-year starter on the football team. He also served as a captain of both squads.

Petillo, who earned a degree in business computer information systems from Hofstra, is a retired police officer who served 23 years for the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey. He currently resides with his wife, Jeanine, and has three sons—all of whom have played lacrosse at the college level—and two daughters.