Entering his fourth year at the helm of the Sacred Heart football team, Paul Gorham has put his stamp on the Pioneer program. With his third solid recruiting class in place the offensive-minded coach has been able to begin putting the pieces of the puzzle together that match his game plans.

When he was introduced as Sacred Heart's seventh football coach in July of 2004, Gorham brought with him a wealth of experience and accomplishments in his inaugural season as a collegiate head coach. He compiled 18 years of experience in the trenches as an assistant at the Division I-AA and Division II levels, developing an innovative and exciting offensive philosophy.

In addition to his experience, he instilled a renewed sense of excitement and optimism in a program that just three years earlier had finished with a perfect 11-0 record and an I-AA Mid-Major National Championship. After losing three of the first four games of the 2004 campaign, he learned the abilities of each of his players, Gorham guided the Pioneers to four straight victories and five in the last six to finish the year 6-4.

Prior to joining the Pioneers, Gorham spent five years on the University of Massachusetts coaching staff as recruiting coordinator and wide receivers coach. Gorham helped lead the Minutemen to an overall record of 10-3 and a trip to the NCAA Division I-AA Playoffs in 2003. The team shared the Atlantic 10 Conference title with an 8-1 mark and UMass set school records for regular season victories (10) and conference victories (8). Gorham helped the offense average 380.4 yards and 28.3 points per game in 2003, including 231.6 passing yards per contest.

In addition to his duties as recruiting coordinator during his first three years with the Minutemen, Gorham coached the offensive lineman. In 2000, Gorham directed an offensive line that allowed the Minutemen to rush for 170.4 yards per game, while also supplying pass protection to let UMass throw for 232.4 yards per game. During his first season with the Minutemen, Gorham's offensive line paved the way for UMass to average 187.9 rushing yards and 248.5 passing yards per game.

Prior to his time at UMass, Gorham worked on the staff at Brown University for five seasons. He served as the offensive coordinator on Phil Estes' staff in 1998, after spending the previous four years as the offensive line coach under Mark Whipple. In 1998, Gorham directed a Brown offense that led the Ivy League with an average of 433.8 yards per game. In addition, Brown's 1998 offense established 25 team or individual records and five Ivy League team or individual marks. Among the Brown records set were passing yards in a season (3,316), first downs (240), pass completions (292), touchdown passes (26) and passing yards in a game (483 yards against Pennsylvania). In 1997, the Brown offense set Ivy League and school records for total offense (474.3 yards per game), and the school single game record for total offense (629 yards against Yale).

During his stint at Brown, Gorham helped develop the Bears' offensive line into one of the top units in I-AA. He produced three first-team All-Ivy League offensive linemen in his five seasons. Gorham was also instrumental in recruiting wide receiver Sean Morey, Brown's first Ivy League Player of the Year (1997 and 1998). The Bears had an overall record of 31-19 during Gorham's five years on the staff.

Prior to going to Brown, Gorham served for six years under Whipple as the recruiting coordinator and offensive line coach at the University of New Haven. While at New Haven, he helped develop 1994 Division II Player of the Year Roger Graham and three additional first team All-Americans in Harry Boatswain (went on to play with the San Francisco 49ers), Rob Thompson (1988) and Scott Emmert (1992). The Chargers achieved national rankings on four occasions with an offense that led all NCAA Divisions in total offense (587.7 yards per game) and scoring offense (52.5 points per game) in 1992. Gorham also served as an assistant coach at the University of New Hampshire for two seasons when Whipple was the offensive coordinator.

A 1984 graduate of the University of New Hampshire, Gorham was an All-Yankee Conference tight end in 1983 for the Wildcats. He and his wife, Noreen, have a son, Matthew (born June 8, 1992), and a daughter, Emma (born April 21, 1995).