New Canaan High School’s Lou Marinelli Named 2025 AFCA/AFCF Power of Influence Award Winner
January 11, 2026
New Canaan (Conn.) High School head coach Lou Marinelli has been named the recipient of the 2025 AFCA/AFCF Power of Influence Award. This award is given jointly by the American Football Coaches Association® and the American Football Coaches Foundation®. Marinelli was nominated by the Connecticut High School Coaches Association. He was honored today during the 2026 AFCA Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The Power of Influence Award was created as a way for the AFCA® and AFCF® to honor deserving high school football coaches. Coaches who receive this award are recognized for their impact on their team, as well as the legacy they leave with the school and surrounding community. This award is not based on wins and losses; however, it should be noted that coaches of powerful influence have longevity and success. The winners are selected by members of the AFCF Board of Directors.
Marinelli, a two-time Power of Influence Regional winner in 2021 and 2025, has been the head coach for the New Canaan Rams for 44 seasons and has an overall record of 418-114-7 (47 years as a head coach) when you include his one season as head coach at Mamaroneck (N.Y.) High School in 1976 and his two seasons as head coach at Yorktown (N.Y.) High School in 1979 and 1980. In 2025, Marinelli led the New Canaan Rams to a 13-0 record, and the program’s fourth straight Class L State Championship. The Rams were Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference (FCIAC) champions for an eighth time and won the Turkey Bowl this season. Marinelli’s record at New Canaan sits at 399-107-6.
After lettering in football at Springfield College, Marinelli began his coaching career as a graduate assistant with the Pride before becoming head coach at Mamaroneck in 1976. He moved to Boston College as an assistant coach for two years before returning to the high school ranks in 1979 as head coach at Yorktown. He was 15-3-1 with a New York State Sectional Bowl victory in his two seasons at Yorktown. Marinelli began his New Canaan run in 1981. After going 4-5 in his first season, he brought the Rams the first of 16 state titles in 1982. New Canaan’s other state championships came in 1993, 2001-02, 2006-09, 2013-16, and 2022-24.
The winningest head coach in Connecticut high school football history, Marinelli’s trophy case is full of awards that he has won over the years, including the FCIAC Coach of the Year several times, National Football Foundation Coach of the Year, Walter Camp Football Foundation’s Connecticut Coach of the Year, 2022 Connecticut High School Coaches Association Coach of the Year, the Legendary Coach Award by MSG Network, the Gerald R. Ford Award for Outstanding Coaching, the National Football League Coach of the Year in 2008, and the 2023 National High School Athletic Coaches Association Football Coach of the Year to name a few.
Marinelli has been inducted into the Connecticut High School Hall of Fame, FCIAC Hall of Fame, Fairfield County Sports Hall of Fame, and the Springfield College Athletic Hall of Fame.
2025 AFCA/AFCF Regional Power of Influence Award winners were: Region 1: Lou Marinelli, New Canaan (Conn.) High School; Region 2: Roosevelt Nelson, Crestwood (S.C.) High School; Region 3: Tim Goodwin, Marion Local (Ohio) High School; Region 4: Mike Snyder, Seminole (Okla.) High School; and Region 5: Jim Benkert, Simi Valley (Calif.) High School.
Past Power of Influence Award winners include: Larry Dippel, Amarillo (Tex.) H.S. (2002); John McKissick, Summerville (S.C.) H.S. (2003); Marcus Borden, East Brunswick (N.J.) H.S. (2004); Ron Stolski, Brainerd (Minn.) H.S. (2005); Sid Otton, Tumwater (Wash.) H.S. (2006); Rob Younger, Sweet Home (Ore.) H.S. (2007); George Smith, St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.) H.S. (2008); Jim Drewry, Booneville (Miss.) H.S. (2009); Brent Steuerwald, Shenendehowa (N.Y.) H.S. (2010); Noel Dean, Lowell (Mich.) H.S. (2011); Andy Lowry, Columbine (Colo.) H.S. (2012); Bob Burt, Cypress (Calif.) H.S. (2013); Ott Hurrle, Scecina Memorial (Ind.) H.S. (2014); Sam Harrell, Fort Worth Christian (Tex.) H.S. (2015); Tony DeMatteo, Somers (N.Y.) H.S. (2016); Allan Trimble, Jenks (Okla.) H.S. (2017); Rick Jones, Greenwood (Ark.) H.S. (2018); Dave Nelson, Minnetonka (Minn.) H.S. (2019); Don Smolyn, Lenape Valley Regional (N.J.) H.S. (2020); Bill Blankenship, Owasso (Okla.) H.S. (2021); Dwight Lundeen, Becker (Minn.) H.S. (2022); Rodney Saulsberry, Whitehaven (Tenn.) H.S. (2023) and Mike O’Dwyer, Limon (Colo.) H.S. (2024).
For more information about the AFCA, visit www.AFCA.com. For more interesting articles, check out The Insider and subscribe to our weekly email.
If you are interested in more in-depth articles and videos, please become an AFCA member. You can find out more information about membership and specific member benefits on the AFCA Membership Overview page. If you are ready to join, please fill out the AFCA Membership Application.
« « Previous PostNext Post » »
New Canaan (Conn.) High School head coach Lou Marinelli has been named the recipient of the 2025 AFCA/AFCF Power of Influence Award. This award is given jointly by the American Football Coaches Association® and the American Football Coaches Foundation®. Marinelli was nominated by the Connecticut High School Coaches Association. He was honored today during the 2026 AFCA Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The Power of Influence Award was created as a way for the AFCA® and AFCF® to honor deserving high school football coaches. Coaches who receive this award are recognized for their impact on their team, as well as the legacy they leave with the school and surrounding community. This award is not based on wins and losses; however, it should be noted that coaches of powerful influence have longevity and success. The winners are selected by members of the AFCF Board of Directors.
Marinelli, a two-time Power of Influence Regional winner in 2021 and 2025, has been the head coach for the New Canaan Rams for 44 seasons and has an overall record of 418-114-7 (47 years as a head coach) when you include his one season as head coach at Mamaroneck (N.Y.) High School in 1976 and his two seasons as head coach at Yorktown (N.Y.) High School in 1979 and 1980. In 2025, Marinelli led the New Canaan Rams to a 13-0 record, and the program’s fourth straight Class L State Championship. The Rams were Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference (FCIAC) champions for an eighth time and won the Turkey Bowl this season. Marinelli’s record at New Canaan sits at 399-107-6.
After lettering in football at Springfield College, Marinelli began his coaching career as a graduate assistant with the Pride before becoming head coach at Mamaroneck in 1976. He moved to Boston College as an assistant coach for two years before returning to the high school ranks in 1979 as head coach at Yorktown. He was 15-3-1 with a New York State Sectional Bowl victory in his two seasons at Yorktown. Marinelli began his New Canaan run in 1981. After going 4-5 in his first season, he brought the Rams the first of 16 state titles in 1982. New Canaan’s other state championships came in 1993, 2001-02, 2006-09, 2013-16, and 2022-24.
The winningest head coach in Connecticut high school football history, Marinelli’s trophy case is full of awards that he has won over the years, including the FCIAC Coach of the Year several times, National Football Foundation Coach of the Year, Walter Camp Football Foundation’s Connecticut Coach of the Year, 2022 Connecticut High School Coaches Association Coach of the Year, the Legendary Coach Award by MSG Network, the Gerald R. Ford Award for Outstanding Coaching, the National Football League Coach of the Year in 2008, and the 2023 National High School Athletic Coaches Association Football Coach of the Year to name a few.
Marinelli has been inducted into the Connecticut High School Hall of Fame, FCIAC Hall of Fame, Fairfield County Sports Hall of Fame, and the Springfield College Athletic Hall of Fame.
2025 AFCA/AFCF Regional Power of Influence Award winners were: Region 1: Lou Marinelli, New Canaan (Conn.) High School; Region 2: Roosevelt Nelson, Crestwood (S.C.) High School; Region 3: Tim Goodwin, Marion Local (Ohio) High School; Region 4: Mike Snyder, Seminole (Okla.) High School; and Region 5: Jim Benkert, Simi Valley (Calif.) High School.
Past Power of Influence Award winners include: Larry Dippel, Amarillo (Tex.) H.S. (2002); John McKissick, Summerville (S.C.) H.S. (2003); Marcus Borden, East Brunswick (N.J.) H.S. (2004); Ron Stolski, Brainerd (Minn.) H.S. (2005); Sid Otton, Tumwater (Wash.) H.S. (2006); Rob Younger, Sweet Home (Ore.) H.S. (2007); George Smith, St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.) H.S. (2008); Jim Drewry, Booneville (Miss.) H.S. (2009); Brent Steuerwald, Shenendehowa (N.Y.) H.S. (2010); Noel Dean, Lowell (Mich.) H.S. (2011); Andy Lowry, Columbine (Colo.) H.S. (2012); Bob Burt, Cypress (Calif.) H.S. (2013); Ott Hurrle, Scecina Memorial (Ind.) H.S. (2014); Sam Harrell, Fort Worth Christian (Tex.) H.S. (2015); Tony DeMatteo, Somers (N.Y.) H.S. (2016); Allan Trimble, Jenks (Okla.) H.S. (2017); Rick Jones, Greenwood (Ark.) H.S. (2018); Dave Nelson, Minnetonka (Minn.) H.S. (2019); Don Smolyn, Lenape Valley Regional (N.J.) H.S. (2020); Bill Blankenship, Owasso (Okla.) H.S. (2021); Dwight Lundeen, Becker (Minn.) H.S. (2022); Rodney Saulsberry, Whitehaven (Tenn.) H.S. (2023) and Mike O’Dwyer, Limon (Colo.) H.S. (2024).
For more information about the AFCA, visit www.AFCA.com. For more interesting articles, check out The Insider and subscribe to our weekly email.
If you are interested in more in-depth articles and videos, please become an AFCA member. You can find out more information about membership and specific member benefits on the AFCA Membership Overview page. If you are ready to join, please fill out the AFCA Membership Application.
