Recruiting Areas: New York (Orange, Rockland, Sullivan, and Ulster Counties), New Jersey (Essex, Hunterdon, Morris, Passaic, Sussex, Union, and Warren Counties)
Scott Rumsey completed his 26th year on Head Coach Jim Parady's staff at Marist in the 2023 season. He served as associate head coach and defensive coordinator. Rumsey finihsed his 19th year as associate head coach, and 23rd as the Red Foxes' defensive coordinator.
Rumsey also coached the Red Foxes' safeties from 2008-09 and 2016-18; linebackers from 2001-07, 2011-13, and 2015; and defensive linemen from 1998-2000 as well as the 2010 and 2014 seasons. In his time as defensive coordinator, Rumsey has coached nearly 100 all-conference selections, and has been the position coach for 32 all-conference honorees.
During this time, the Marist defense has earned national recognition. In the 2014 season, free safety Zach Adler led the FCS in interceptions per game. Adler was named Honorable Mention All-America by the Associated Press and was one of three Red Foxes – along with linebacker Paul Sakowski and defensive end Demetrius Williams – who earned First Team All-PFL honors. The Red Foxes ranked second in the league in scoring defense and total defense.
Rumsey was instrumental in the continued development of Terrence Fede, who became the first NFL draft choice in program history in 2014. Fede set the program’s single-season and career record for sacks. He played for the Miami Dolphins from 2014-17, and was in preseason camp with the Buffalo Bills in 2018 and New York Giants in 2019.
In Marist’s PFL championship season of 2013, the Red Foxes recorded home shutouts against Valparaiso and Stetson, marking the first time since 2002 that the team recorded two shutouts in a season.
In 2012, Marist finished first in the FCS ranks in Red Zone Defense. The Red Foxes allowed the opposition to score on just 23 of its 40 trips (57.5 percent) inside the Marist 20-yard line. Marist also ranked among that national leaders in turnover ratio, going plus-9 in turnovers over 11 games last season.
The Marist defense was one of the best in the FCS ranks in 2011. The Red Foxes finished sixth in the FCS and first in the PFL by allowing an average of just 285.64 yards per game. Linebacker Ryan Cronan was a First Team All-PFL selection who led the team in tackles, and signed a contract to play professionally in Germany in the summer of 2012.
In 2009, the Marist defense was ranked 10th in the country in total defense and tied for 12th in scoring defense. The Red Foxes also recorded their first shutout in four years in a 24-0 victory over Valparaiso on Oct. 31. Nine Marist defensive players earned PFL honors.
Rumsey oversaw a change in the team's defensive philosophy heading into the 2008 season, as the Red Foxes changed from a 3-4 to a predominantly 3-3-5 look which they still utilize. Safety Rory Foley emerged as a star, setting a single-season school record with seven interceptions - a total which placed him third in the FCS ranks.
Rumsey's association with the Red Foxes football program dates back further than his coaching days. He starred as a defensive lineman at Marist and helped begin the building process of a winning program. As a rookie, Rumsey saw the Red Foxes win just two games, but by the time he graduated, he had led Marist to the top of the ACFC. In 1990, Rumsey, a two-time all-conference defensive tackle, helped the Red Foxes to a 7-2-1 overall record, and the first conference title in program history and an ACFC crown. The .750 winning percentage that season is still the best in program history.
Rumsey began his coaching career in 1991 as the defensive coordinator at Valley Central High School, before moving into the college coaching ranks at Bates College. He spent four seasons at Bates, coaching with former Marist coach Rick Pardy. During his stint at Bates, Rumsey coached both the linebackers and defensive line, before returning to the Poughkeepsie campus for the 1998 season.
Rumsey earned his Bachelor's in communications from Marist College in 1991 and a Master's in Public Administration in the spring of 2006. He and his wife, Casey, along with their daughters Kalie, Caden and Codi, reside in Montgomery. Kalie is a junior at Marist in the 2023-24 school year and serves as a team manager. Caden is in her freshman year at Sacred Heart, where she will be part of the school's Division I Dance team. Codi is in her freshman year at Franklin & Marshall.
