Joe Moglia, Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’71 and a New York City native, has already had his name carved into the Fordham history books prior to the stadium being renamed in his honor.
Since his enrollment at both Fordham Preparatory School and FCRH, the university has recognized him with the Founder’s Award — an award which honors those whose personal and professional lives reflect Fordham’s mission — and inducted him into the Fordham Hall of Fame, making him the fourth person in the university’s history to achieve both awards.
At Fordham’s annual Homecoming celebration on Oct. 7, the football and soccer stadium will officially be named after the remarkable alum. The renaming of Fordham’s football and soccer stadium honors Moglia’s representation of Fordham.
“Joe embodies the Fordham way,” University President Tania Tetlow said to Fordham News. “Joe has been closely connected to Fordham and all this institution stands for.”
According to Fordham News, Moglia supported himself and his family during his undergraduate career at Rose Hill by driving a taxi cab and a postal service truck. These responsibilities prevented him from being able to join the Fordham football team. Despite this, Moglia immediately became involved at his high school alma mater, launching his coaching career there as an assistant football coach before graduating from FCRH.
Following 12 years of working with various football programs, Moglia took a break from coaching to work in the business industry. He spent 17 years at Merrill Lynch as an executive committee member before leaving the company to become the chief executive officer and chairman at TD Ameritrade in 2001. During his time as an executive, TD Ameritrade transformed from a multimillion dollar company to a multibillion dollar company.
Moglia returned to his passion of coaching in 2009, holding an advisory position at the University of Nebraska and later becoming head coach of the United Football League’s (UFL) Omaha Nighthawks. In 2011, Moglia left the UFL due to the collapse of the league as a result of financial deterioration and began his tenure as head coach of the Coastal Carolina University (CCU) football team — the Chanticleers — leading the team for seven seasons.
Although Moglia stepped down as CCU’s head coach in 2019, he still serves as chair of athletics, executive director of football, and executive adviser to the president at CCU. The new namesake for the Fordham stadium was honored with numerous awards during his time at CCU, including multiple Big South Coach of the Year awards as well as the 2015 Eddie Robinson Award, which honors the top Football Championship Subdivision head coach of the year.
In addition to the stadium’s renaming, the announcement noted that Fordham’s stadium will undergo “game changing” renovations.
“The stadium upgrades wouldn’t be possible without Joe’s continued generosity to the University,” Tetlow said. “We are honored to name this stadium after him.” These renovations will include a state-of-the-art video board, seating and press box improvements, upgraded lighting, and other advancements in an effort to enhance the game day experience for students and fans.
“I’m proud to have been able to have a positive impact on the lives of others, and that all traces back to Fordham,” Moglia said to Fordham News when asked about this honor. “A big part of whatever success I’ve achieved across two career paths is because of the education that I received there.”
The Fordham Stadium hosts the football, men’s soccer and women’s soccer teams. Additionally, the field is available to intramural and club sports programs. The Homecoming football game against Lehigh University will be held at the stadium on Oct. 7, when the Joe Moglia Stadium will be officially introduced to the Fordham community.
