A football coach with more than 25 years of experience, Pete Rekstis has built a long record of success that dates back to his earliest days in the profession. Initially hired in 1994 by the US Coast Guard Academy as a defensive backs coach, he earned a promotion to defensive coordinator within a year. In 1996, he helped lead the team not only to its first playoff appearance, but also to a conference championship. Later, as an assistant coach at his undergraduate alma mater, Youngstown State University, Pete Rekstis found similar success, coaching the team to a runner-up finish in the Division 1-AA playoffs and eventually rising to the defensive coordinator position.

Pete Rekstis subsequently added to his professional achievements after assuming responsibilities as defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach at Kent State University. Inheriting a defense that held the ignominious distinction of being the worst in the conference, he quickly made an impact, elevating the squad to the conference’s number one defense in only one season. In recognition of his efforts, he was named the 2004-05 Northeast Ohio College Assistant Coach of the Year, an honor he won again in 2009-10.

Today, Pete Rekstis serves as defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach at the University of Rhode Island. Since joining the team in 2014, he has helped it achieve its first winning record in 17 seasons.