Defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Phil Galiano begins his third season on the staff of Head Coach Mario Cristobal.
Coach Galiano's positive influence has already started to pay dividends for the Golden Panthers defense. Between the 2007 and ?08 seasons, FIU jumped up 74 spots in turnover margin, 45 spots in pass efficiency defense, 36 spots in scoring defense, 34 spots in total defense and 25 spots in rush defense. The team also ranked 25th nationally in tackles for loss average, moving up 37 spots.
Galiano came to FIU after playing a significant role in the meteoric rise of Rutgers football, after the Scarlet Knights finished the 2006 season with an 11-2 record, which included beating Kansas State, 37-10, in the Texas Bowl. The Scarlet Knights posted an 11-victory season for only the second time in the 137-year football history of the school.
Galiano began his career at Rutgers as a defensive assistant in 2003 and, as a four-year member of head coach Greg Schiano's staff, drilled Rutgers defensive ends for two seasons, worked with the defensive line in 2003 and was linebackers coach in 2004. In 2006, Galiano's defensive ends were major contributors on the country's fourth-ranked defense. Rutgers' defense ranked fifth in the NCAA with 3.15 sacks and 7.92 tackles for loss per game and produced first-team All-America and All-Big East defensive lineman Eric Foster, as well as second-team All-Big East defensive linemen Ramel Meekins and Jamaal Westerman.
He began his coaching career at Dickinson College, where he worked with the outside linebackers during the 2000 season. He spent 2001 as outside linebackers coach at the University of New Haven before becoming an offensive assistant at Villanova in 2002, working primarily with the tight ends.
A three-year defensive starter at Shippensburg University at safety, Galiano served as a tri-captain during his senior campaign. He helped lead the Raiders to three consecutive winning seasons from 1997-99, when they posted a 21-11 mark over that span. As a senior, despite missing several games due of injury, he proved to be one of the team's most productive defensive backs, recording 63 tackles, including two for loss.
Galiano led the Raiders' secondary with 72 tackles as a junior, and also led them with three fumble recoveries. He set a Shippensburg record for the longest fumble return when he took one 95 yards for a touchdown against Bloomsburg. He broke into the starting lineup as a sophomore and recorded 69 tackles, blocked a punt and had two interceptions, including one for a 35-yard return for a TD against Edinboro. As a freshman, he recorded 46 tackles and had one interception.
Galiano, who originally hails from Norristown, Pa., graduated from Shippensburg in 2000 with a bachelor's degree in business administration. He and his wife, Kelly, have a three-year-old son, Thomas Jeffrey and infant daughter Taylor Lee.
Personal Information
Full Name: Phillip H. Galiano
Wife: The former Kelly Kress
Children: Thomas Jeffrey and Taylor Lee
Hometown: Philadelphia, Pa.
Education: B.A. business administration, Shippensburg University, Shippensburg, Pa. (2000)
Galiano's Coaching Career
2007-present: FIU, Defensive Coordinator
2005-06: Rutgers University, Defensive Ends
2004-05: Rutgers University, Linebackers
2003-04: Rutgers University, Graduate Assistant, Asst. Defensive Line Coach
2002-03: Villanova University, Tight Ends
2001-02: University of New Haven, Outside Linebackers and Safeties
2000-01: Dickinson College, Outside Linebackers, Defensive Coordinator (JV Team)
Bowl Games as a Coach (2)
2006 Texas Bowl (Rutgers)
2005 Insight Bowl (Rutgers)
Honors as a Player
Team captain as a senior
Three-year starter
Prominent Players Coached
- Jamaal Westerman, New York Jets (Rutgers)
- Eric Foster, Indianapolis Colts (Rutgers)
- Ryan Neal, Buffalo Bills (Rutgers)
- Val Barnaby, Detroit Lions (Rutgers)
- Idris Price, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (New Haven)
