Coaching Staff
Head Coach
Paul Shaffner, fourth year
BengalsFootball@buffalostate.edu
Assistant Coaches
Terry Bitka (Assoc. HC/Defensive Coordinator), Christian Ozolins (Offensive Coordinator/QBs), Gene Zinni (Offensive Line), Julian Morales (WR/Video Coordinator), Brandon Benham (Defensive Backs), Pat Devaney (OLB), Dan DeAngelis (RB/Kickers), Tim Green (TE), Justin Huebbers (Asst. OL), Bernie Ozolins (Asst. LB), Bob Decker (Equipment Manager), John Sarratori (Videographer)
Paul Shaffner enters his fourth season as the head football coach at Buffalo State. In his first three seasons, he has paced the Bengals to a 10-19 record and has mentored 22 All-Conference players, as well as see the team compete in the New Jersey Athletic Conference for the first time in 2006.
Prior to coming to Buffalo State, Shaffner was a West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletics Conference Coach of the Year as the head coach at Division II Glenville State (WV) where he spent four seasons, and led the Pioneers to a WVIAC championship in his second season. Off the field, he helped establish academic integrity as the team’s overall grade point average rose from 1.9 to above 2.5.
Active in college football for more than 20 years, Shaffner's coaching experience began as the defensive coordinator at Division III Maine Maritime Academy from 1983 through 1985. He spent the next two years as a graduate assistant coach on Joe Paterno's staff at Penn State University and enjoyed a Division I National Championship in his first season thanks to a Fiesta Bowl victory over the University of Miami.
He served as an assistant coach and defensive coordinator at Division I-AA Lafayette College in Easton, Pa., from 1988 to 1999, where he helped his team to two Patriot League championships and a Colonial League title.
A 1982 graduate of Ithaca College, where he earned both bachelor's and master's degrees in physical education, Shaffner served as a co-captain at center and played on the 1979 NCAA Division III National Championship team and 1980 National runner-up squad for the Bombers. He won the Sebring Memorial Award his senior year for the top Scholar-Athlete.
Paul and his wife Donna reside in Orchard Park with their three children, Jessica, Samantha and Jacob.
Associate Head Coach Terry Bitka
bitkatd@buffalostate.edu
Terry Bitka is in his 22nd season as part of the Bengals’ staff, serving as the associate head coach, and this season will work specifically with the defensive line. As a player at Cortland, he was a team captain and received the "Best Offensive Lineman" award twice. He was selected to the ECAC All-Star team as a senior and later served as a volunteer coach. His other duties at Buffalo State include serving as an assistant strength coach with the athletics department. Terry earned a bachelor’s degree in geography from Cortland in 1986 and a master’s degree in student personnel administration from Buffalo State in 1991. He and his wife Heather, a Buffalo State graduate, reside in Amherst with their children Emily, Brandon and Ryan.
Assistant Coach Christian Ozolins
ozolincp@buffalostate.edu
Christian enters his fifth season with the Bengals’ coaching staff. In addition to working with the team’s quarterbacks, he is also the recruiting and academic coordinator. Since joining the Bengals’ staff, he has coached one ECAC All-Star and two First Team All-Conference players. He has 12 years of college coaching experience, including stints at Maryville, Methodist, Alfred and Hamilton. As a player, he played in the NAIA National Championship Game for Cumberland University in Tennessee. He earned his bachelor’s in education from Cumberland and completed a master’s degree from Alfred. Christian also serves as the recreation and intramurals manager on campus. He and his wife Shaton reside in South Buffalo with their son CJ.
Assistant Coach Gene Zinni
Gene enters his 17th overall season with the Bengals and fifth since after a two-year hiatus while he was a member of the Buffalo Destroyers staff in the Arena Football League. He serves as the team’s offensive line coach. Zinni coached at the University at Buffalo for 11 years and spent 12 years coaching the offensive line at Sweet Home High School prior to that. In 1995, Zinni was inducted into the UB Football Hall of Fame. Gene resides in Royalton with his wife Marlene. They have three children, Laurene, Eugene and Michael.
Assistant Coach Brandon Benham
Brandon Benham is in his second year as the team’s defensive backs coach. He returns for his second stint on the Bengals’ staff after coaching under coach Jerry Boyes in 1994. He has spent the past 10 years coaching at the high school level with stops at West Irondequoit, Kenmore West and Lancaster High Schools. Benham played at Buffalo State as a free safety in the early ‘90s, helping the Bengals to their first two NCAA playoff appearances as well as an ECAC Bowl Championship. He completed his bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Buffalo State and has a master’s in education from Brockport. He works full-time as a sixth grade teacher in the Ken-Ton School District. A native of Greece, NY, Benham is married and currently lives in Lancaster. He and his wife Jill have a son Bryce, and two daughters Abbie and Julia.
Assistant Coach Dan DeAngelis
Dan DeAngelis joined the Bengals’ staff last season to work with the running backs, tight ends and kickers. He comes with 14 years of coaching experience at the high school level, including stints at Stamford, N. Tonawanda, St. Michael’s and Fort Erie. DeAngelis has a pair of bachelor’s degrees in journalism and social studies education from Buffalo State where he played football from 1987 through 1990. A three-year letterwinner at defensive tackle, he was twice awarded the team’s lineman of the year award. A native and resident of Niagara Falls, Ontario, DeAngelis works as a constable with the Niagara Regional Police Service and is currently stationed in Fort Erie, ON.
Assistant Coach Tim Green
Tim Green is his second season as an assistant coach at Buffalo State and will work with the team’s linebackers. Green joins the Bengals’ staff with a wealth of football knowledge, including coaching experience with Williamsville South High School and St. Joe’s Collegiate Institute. As a player, Green was a standout for Williamsville South in the ‘70s and went on to play one season of semi-pro football with the Twin City Geminis. He has an associate’s degree in criminal justice and is a captain in the Amherst Police Department’s Detective Bureau. He resides in Williamsville with his wife Kathy, and they have three children, Stephanie, Annie and Jerry.
Assistant Coach Pat Devaney
Pat Devaney returns for his second stint with the Bengals to work with the outside linebackers. He previously coached the Bengals for six seasons under Jerry Boyes in the mid-1990s. His other coaching experience includes six years at RPI and eight years with Canisius. A retiree from the New York State Department of Labor, Devaney played collegiately and earned a bachelor of science degree from Utica College. A widower, he has a son Christopher and daughter Kerry, and resides in East Aurora.
Assistant Coach Bernie Ozolins
Bernie Ozolins enters his first season as a member of the Bengals’ coaching staff with 28 years of coaching experience at various area high schools, including the past six yeas at the defensive coordinator at Amherst. He also served as the defensive line coach at Canisius College. As a player, he spent four seasons at his alma mater St. Vincent College where he was a small college All-American and participant in the Gem Bowl All-Star Game. After graduation, he was drafted by the Winnepeg Blue Bombers. He is a former captain the US Marine Corps and is a decorated veteran having served two tours of duty in the Vietnam War. Ozolins and his wife Suzanne have been married 41 years and reside in Cheektowaga. Theyhave five children, Eric, Kurt, Christian, Tamara and Jason. He also has a master’s degree from Buffalo State in exceptional education and currently works as an adjunct professor at Canisius.
Assistant Coach Justin Huebbers
Justin Huebbers enters his first year as a volunteer assistant coach one year after completing his four-year playing career as an offensive lineman with the Bengals. A starter for most of his four seasons, he was a 2006 Western New York Football Foundation Scholar Athlete Award winner. The Rochester-native earned his bachelor’s degree in social studies education and is currently pursuing his master’s degree. He currently resides in Buffalo and is teaching social studies at JFK Middle School.
Equipment Manager Bob Decker
Bob has served as the head equipment manager for the Buffalo State football team since 2000. His other experiences include working with the Buffalo Gladiators semi-pro football team and the Buffalo Destroyers and Rochester Brigade arena football teams. He has also worked with the Buffalo Bisons, Stampede, Wings and Blizzard. He resides in Cheektowaga.
