The Most Impressive Head Coach of This Generation

Annese began his coaching career back in 1984 as an assistant coach at Muskegon Catholic Central. His first head coaching job came four seasons later at Montrose High School. From 1987 to 2008 he led Montrose, Pioneer, Jenison and finally Muskegon to a combined 195-41 record.

In 2009 he became the head coach at Grand Rapids CC, the only junior college program in Michigan. During his three seasons he compiled a 30-4 record. After his departure, the program shut down.

He then made his move to Ferris State, where he has turned the Bulldogs into a DII juggernaut. Overall, Ferris State has gone 153-21 since 2012, which has included eight conference championships and four national championships.

Those four national championships have occurred during the last five seasons, when the Bulldogs have been a combined 66-5. And Annese didn’t coach the playoff game that Ferris State lost during the 2023 season. Why he didn’t coach is a unique story on its own. He was suspended for one game by the NCAA due to instances of team misconduct following the 2022 Division II national championship game. That team misconduct was because two players lit cigars in the locker room after the victory.

If you’re not keeping track, that makes Annese 378-66 since 1987. Amazingly, his only losing season came during his first, when he went 4-5 at Montrose High School. While his success includes his time at the high school, JUCO and DII levels, the overall accomplishments are amazing.

Coaching DII football is a different type of coaching, especially in the world of the transfer portal and NIL. But even with that, Annese has navigated it successfully. In 2025, he most notably lost starting quarterback Trinidad Chambliss to Ole Miss, but also lost players to Michigan, Iowa, West Virginia, North Texas, Western Michigan and Jacksonville State.  

Despite losing all this talent, Annese quickly reloaded the roster and led Ferris State to a 16-0 season and 42-21 National Championship victory over previously undefeated Harding.

Through all of this, Annese has continuously said that he is happy at Ferris State. His name has been mentioned with FBS jobs through the years, such as Michigan State, Western Michigan and Central Michigan. And along the way several family members have joined his staff, such as his sons, Steven and Anthony, and his nephew, Tony.

Now 64 years old, Annese’s roots are solidly entrenched in Michigan and at Ferris State. If he was to leave, he likely would have already done so. All of this is to Ferris State’s benefit, as they sit in an amazing position, with an elite coach who will most likely remain with the program until he gets tired of winning National Championships.