The 2021 season marks Ed Rifilato's 16th season at Fort Lewis College. He was named the Skyhawks head coach for the second time in his career in December 2015 and coached the 2016 season, replacing former head coach John L. Smith. Prior to being named head coach, Rifilato served as the Skyhawks defensive coordinator from 2012-15.
Rifilato returns to the sidelines of Fort Lewis College for the 2019 season as the defensive coordinator, leading the Skyhawks to the third best total defense in the RMAC. The Skyhawks limited opponents to just 325.2 total yards and 21.3 points per game, anchored by a rush defense that only allowed 1,080 rush yards the entire season.
Rifilato has previous head coaching experience at both Fort Lewis College and New Mexico Highlands. He owns a 22-41 overall record at FLC, and an 18-32 RMAC record at FLC.
Rifilato was Defensive Coordinator at his alma mater University of Idaho, in 2000 and 2001, and also coached on John L Smith's staff at Louisville. He won the Colorado National Football Foundation Coach of the Year honors in 2005 and 2006 while at Fort Lewis College and RMAC Coach of the Year honors while at New Mexico Highlands in 1999.
While serving as head coach and defensive coordinator for the Skyhawks from 2004-09, Rifilato guided FLC to the postseason for the first time in FLC’s 40-year college history (which began in 1963), winning the Dixie Rotary Bowl by defeating host Dixie State 24-14. That capped a season that saw the Skyhawks go 7-4 overall, matching FLC’s most wins in a single season. The Skyhawks also narrowly missed qualifying for the NCAA Division II playoffs for the first time in school history. FLC was 6-2 in RMAC games that year, losing the league title to Chadron State, which featured current NFL player Danny Woodhead. That same season, FLC beat every Colorado Division II program for just the second time in school history. Rifilato’s 2005 Skyhawk squad went 6-4 overall and 6-2 in league games. The ’05 season marked FLC’s first winning season in 20 years.
Prior to arriving at Fort Lewis in 2003, Rifilato spent one year coaching with John L Smith at University of Louisville after serving as defensive coordinator at the University of Idaho in 2000 and 2001. Previously Rifilato was Head Coach at New Mexico Highlands, leading the Cowboys to the RMAC championship and a 7-4 record in 1999. He had served as NMHU’s defensive coordinator from 1996-98. Before Highlands, Rifilato was defensive coordinator at Chaffey Junior College in 1994-95. He spent the 1992-93 seasons as linebackers coach at San Bernardino Valley Junior College.
Born in Islip, N.Y., Rifilato was raised in Bells Gardens, Calif. He attended the University of Idaho, Long Beach City College, and earned his bachelor of science degree in business management from California Coast University in 1998. He played college football at Idaho, where he was his team’s Defensive Player of the Year in 1983-84 and Long Beach Community College, where he was a preseason All-American.
He and his wife, Kelley, have two daughters, Gabriella and Katherine. Kelley was named the head volleyball coach at Fort Lewis in June 2013.
