Perry Nizzi is in his 22nd year as the head men’s soccer coach at Hamilton College. His teams have reached double figures in wins eight times and his overall record at Hamilton stands at 176-116-32 (.593 win pct.). The Continentals have advanced to the postseason 13 times, including four trips to the NCAA Division III championship and the 2016 NESCAC championship final, under Nizzi. He coached one all-region and two all-conference selections in 2018, and the team advanced to the NESCAC semifinals for the third straight year.

In 2016 Nizzi led the Hamilton men to their finest season in the NESCAC since they joined the conference for soccer in 2011. The Continentals posted an overall record of 10-7-1 and tied for fourth place in the NESCAC with a 5-4-1 mark. The men hosted a NESCAC championship quarterfinal for the first time and played for the conference title after winning in overtime in the first two rounds. Nizzi was voted the 2016 NESCAC Men’s Soccer Coach of the Year for his team’s efforts. One of his players was named the conference’s rookie of the year and made the all-region team. On Sept. 10, Nizzi picked up his 150th coaching victory at Hamilton with a 1-0 shutout at Bates.

The Continentals won their second Liberty League tournament title, advanced to the second round of the NCAA championship and finished with a record of 10-5-3 under Nizzi in 2007. The 2006 squad won the league’s regular season title, played in the NCAA championship and finished with 11 victories. In 2004 Hamilton won its first league tournament crown and made an NCAA appearance. Nizzi guided the Continentals to the NCAA quarterfinals in 2000 after Hamilton won the league’s regular season title. Nizzi’s 2001 team finished 12-2-0, tied the program record for most wins in a season, and was ranked 16th in the final Division III coaches poll.

Nizzi mentored Greg Rogan ’07, who became the third all-American in program history in 2006 when he was voted to the third team by Division III coaches. Nizzi has coached 17 all-region selections and dozens of all-conference team honorees. Hamilton players have collected five all-NESCAC team honors the last two seasons.

Seven men’s soccer student-athletes made the 2018 NESCAC Fall All-Academic Team and the Continentals received the United Soccer Coaches College Team Academic Award for the fourth year in a row in 2017-18. One of Nizzi’s players made the United Soccer Coaches Division III Men’s Scholar All-East Region Team in 2018.

Nizzi also achieved a great deal of success at Herkimer College where his record was 291-56-11. He guided the Generals to three National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division III championships from 1994 to 1996. Herkimer established a national collegiate record for the longest winning streak in any sport with 97 consecutive victories. As a result of those amazing accomplishments, Nizzi was inducted into the NJCAA Soccer Hall of Fame in 2006 and the Herkimer College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2017.

Nizzi received the National Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association’s award for outstanding contributions in the field of intercollegiate soccer in 1999. He was inducted into the Rome Sports Hall of Fame in 1997 and the Greater Utica Sports Hall of Fame in 2000.

A native of Rome, Nizzi graduated from Rome Free Academy where he earned high school all-America honors. Nizzi enjoyed an all-America playing career at Mohawk Valley Community College and continued his education at SUNY Cortland. He was an all-state soccer player for the Red Dragons before he received his degree in 1977 and went on to earn his master’s in 1980. He was one of eight inducted into Cortland’s C-Club Hall of Fame in 2009.