Courtesy of Worcester State Sports Information

Boston, MA --- Worcester State head football coach Brien Cullen has been distinguished with the John Baronian Award by the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston for his lifetime contributions to New England football.

Cullen will be presented his award at the annual Gridiron Club banquet on Thursday, December 18 at the Marriott Hotel in Burlington, Mass.

Since 1997, the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston has handed out the prestigious award for lifetime achievement as it is named for John Baronian, a Worcester native and long-time supporter of Tufts athletics, who passed away in 2008.

Former Boston College head coach Jack Bicknell, former Boston University and Holy Cross head coach Dan Allen and former UMass Amherst head coach Bob Pickett highlight a list of 16 other remarkable individuals who have received the award and make an impact on the New England collegiate football scene while promoting the ideals represented by the Gridiron Club.

Cullen will be the seventh recipient with significant Division III ties. Last year's John Baronian honoree was Rich Cavanaugh who retired as the head coach at Southern Connecticut in 2013.

Since taking over the reigns as the head coach of the Worcester State football club team in 1983, Cullen has been a mentor and a tutor to hundreds of collegiate student-athletes who have graduated from the program.

In the two seasons before the squad was elevated to varsity status, the Lancers went 19-3 under Cullen with a perfect 11-0 campaign in 1984 culminating with the National Club Championship.

Since going 5-0 in 1985 in its first varsity campaign, the Blue and Gold claimed a pair of NEFC South Division titles in 1987 and 1988 while the squad also won three consecutive NEFC crowns in 1995, 1996 and 1997. Under Cullen, Worcester State has also won or shared the MASCAC regular season championship seven times.

In the postseason, the Lancers have made seven ECAC Division III Bowl game appearances and WSU captured the 2001 ECAC Northeast Bowl Championship.

Cullen has been named NEFC Coach of the Year on five occasions and in 1996, he was honored by both the Gridiron Club and the New England Football Writers as the Division III Coach of the Year.

Also in 1996, after guiding a squad that posted three shutouts and surrendered the fewest rushing yards (20.3 YPG), passing yards (50.6 YPG) and total yards in the nation (125.8 YPG), he was named the American Football Coaches Magazine Division III National Defensive Coordinator of the Year.

In 1997, Cullen was recognized by the National Football Foundation as a contributor to football and after the 2004 campaign, Cullen was a recipient of the Murray Lewis Award for outstanding football contributions by the ECAC football officials.

With 17 winning campaigns in 29 varsity seasons, Cullen is fifth on the New England Football all-time wins list with 166 victories, just one shy of fourth place which is held by James Ostendarp (Amherst – 1967-98). The Lancers have finished the year ranked in the Division III New England Football Poll on 12 occasions – including a 7-3 mark this past campaign – and earned the #1 spot twice in 1996 and 1997.

The list of former Worcester State players or coaches who have gone on to tutor young student-athletes at the high school and collegiate level is numerous.

Those who are active and have had success include Tony Reno (Harvard/Yale), Chris Nugai (Fitchburg State/New Haven/Holy Cross/Columbia), Mike Gennetti(Merrimack), Sean Mahoney (Assumption/Shrewsbury HS), Dave Kaiser (WPI/Nichols), Greg Crum (WPI/Fordham), Patrick Haverty (UMass/Lowell/Fitchburg State), Rob Brockley (Austin Peay), Chris Grautski (Fitchburg State/WPI/Assumption), Tony Tokarz (Memphis) and Dan Walker (Fitchburg HS).

Cullen, who retired this past year as longtime physical education teacher at Douglas High School, continues to teach as an adjunct professor on campus. He enters the 2015 season as the second active winningest coach in Division III New England football, behind Mike Delong of Springfield, who has 197 victories.  

The Gridiron Club of Greater Boston, established in 1932, has promoted the game at football at all levels and nurtures the ideals of citizenship, sportsmanship, leadership along with athletic and academic achievement. Through its annual dinners and golf tournament, the club carries on its tradition as the "Keeper of the Flame of Boston sporting tradition" of honoring exemplary players, coaches and officials at all levels of sport.