After nine seasons leading the Westfield State (D-III - MA) program, head coach Pete Kowalski has decided to enter a new chapter of his life.
After four decades of coaching, Kowalski shared in the school's release of the news that "sometimes life helps make decisions for you."
The decision to step away comes after Pete lost his wife, Mary, and his daughter, Melissa, within just months of one another earlier in the spring.
Mary passed after a long battle with an illness, and Melissa died after complications from a medical procedure.
He now plans to focus on supporting his son-in-law Shawn and his four grandchildren under the age of 13.
Before stepping into the head coach role, Kowalski spent 18 years as an assistant with the program, coordinating the defense.
He wraps up his near-decade leading the program with a mark of 25-65 overall, finishing 3-7 last fall as they finished the year with a two-game win streak including a 49-0 win over Fitchburg State in what turned out to be his curtain call.
Please join us in wishing the best for coach Kowalski as he embarks on this new chapter of life.