PEMBROKE — UNC Pembroke football head coach Shane Richardson announced the first of two expected additions to his coaching staff on Monday morning when he named former North Carolina defensive lineman and Greensboro College staffer Alec Petrocelli as his defensive line coach.

Petrocelli treks to Pembroke from McLoud, Okla., where spent the last year as defensive line and strength & conditioning coach in the McLoud Public School System. He has previous coaching stops at both Oklahoma Baptist (NCAA Division II) and Greensboro (NCAA Division III).

“We are very excited about the addition of Alec,” Richardson said. “He has ties and experience to the state of North Carolina, and has experience at various levels including NCAA Division II. He has a very natural and genuine rapport with the players, and they will respond positively to his coaching style. He is a good fit for what we believe as a program, and look forward to his valuable contribution to our team.”

Following a handful of stints in various administration roles with the UNC football program in Chapel Hill, Petrocelli dove into the coaching world as the defensive line coach at Greensboro for the 2016 season. Following a brief stint with the Pride, he took on two separate roles at Oklahoma Baptist, serving as defensive line coach for the 2017 season and tight ends/halfbacks coach for the 2018 campaign. The Bison ranked among the nation’s best offenses on the way to a quintet of victories in 2018, including a season-ending three-game win streak.

Petrocelli joined the football squad at UNC as a walk on defensive lineman prior to the 2010 season and was a part of a senior class that racked up a 30-21 record and a pair of bowl appearances, including a spot in the 2013 Belk Bowl against Cincinnati. He logged his first collegiate playing experience in the 2011 Independence Bowl against Missouri. Following his collegiate playing career, Petrocelli earned a practice squad spot on the Arena Football League’s Tampa Bay Storm, after also participating in training camp with the AFL’s Orlando Predators.

Petrocelli also has valuable experience outside of the collegiate coaching realm. He has served as clinician at a handful of camps, including the Oklahoma Football Camp, the College Coaches Skills Camp and the Baker Mayfield Football Camp. He also roamed the sidelines at both the 2018 and 2019 International Bowl as an assistant coach for Team Japan.

Petrocelli earned his bachelor’s degree in exercise and sports science from UNC in 2014, and completed his master’s degree work in sports administration at Southeastern Oklahoma State in 2019.