Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator, Jason Fernald. Coach Fernald comes to the Intensity after coaching most recently at Stonehill College where he was the Running Backs and Assistant Special Teams Coach. Prior to that, Jason was the Head Football Coach of the Freshmen squad at Sharon High School where he was also an Assistant Track and Field Coach and Strength Coach. After that, he joined the staff at Randolph High School where he was in charge of the Defensive Line, and was Assistant Offensive Coordinator as well as the Head Coach of the Junior Varsity team.
Coach Fernald played his high school football at Canton High School where he was a two way starter at Offensive & Defensive tackle and long snapper. He has attended numerous football clinics and has studied the game for more than 20 years. Jason is an area business owner, is married and has two sons. In his free time, he enjoys reading, weightlifting, archery and XBox 360. His favorite quote is: "Success awaits those who settle for nothing less".
Defensive Coordinator, Peter Brown. Coach Brown joins the New England Intensity in his first year as the Defensive Coordinator, as well as positional coach for the offensive receivers. Coach Brown employs a new, fresh outlook by implementing an aggressive attacking style defense that will provide several fronts and various coverages. Peter is well-respected and experienced from the standpoint of being a former outstanding college football player and solid high school coach to include coaching the Stoneham High school Football Team to the 1994 Super bowl.
Coach Brown holds a B.S. in Criminal Justice from Northeastern University and started 4 years at Defensive Back for the Huskies (1981-1984) where he was elected by his peers Team Captain (1984) his senior year. Coach Brown is a student of the game and brings professionalism, skills, knowledge and stability to the Intensity's defense side of the ball. Peter also was under contract with the Memphis Showboats, of the U.S.F.L. where he signed to play Weak Outside Linebacker in the mid 1980's. Coach Brown is presently employed by the Executive Office of Public Safety for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He and his wife, Donna, have a beautiful young daughter, Rendi who can often be found assisting her dad on game day.
Line Coach, James Callahan. Coach Callahan has over 20 years of experience playing and coaching the game of football. James began playing football at the age of 9 for Lena Park, a Boston inner city football program. He played inner city football until going to high school where he played running back and linebacker/cornerback for 4 years at Concord Carlisle High School. During his senior year he was voted as Captain on the football program and was awarded the Most Valuable Player in the Thanksgiving Day game.
After high school, James played linebacker for several years at the Semi-Pro football level for the Boston Bandits in the New England Football League. Shortly after retiring from the NEFL due to two major knee surgeries, James got into coaching the game at the Pop Warner level and the High School level. He is in his fourth season of coaching with the inner city football program that he started playing in when he was 9 years old. James also is in his second season coaching at Catholic Memorial High School a division 1-football program in West Roxbury, Massachusetts. As a player and coach James attended many different camps and clinics including Offense/Defense camp and the Frank Glazier clinic. James is continuing his dedication to be a student and a teacher of the game of Football.
Assistant Coach, Nuri Barlas. Coach Burlas is returning for his second season with the Intensity after sharing in the PA and other media duties for the team last year. His return is due in part to Nuri's life long love affair with football and also due to the great experience he had with last season's Intensity. Nuri came to the team in 2008 after graduating from the Connecticut School of Broadcasting as a part of his journey towards a career as a sportscaster. He still pursues this goal working as a PA announcer for the New England Riptide in the summers and serving as the play by play voice of the Global Fight League. In addition to these pursuits Nuri is currently working towards his Bachelor's degree at Merrimack College where he is a communications studies major with a business minor.
Assistant Coach, Eric Shi. Coach Shi is new to the Intensity in 2009 and will be assisting Coach Brown primarily with Defensive Backs. Eric Shi, coached Women's Flag Football in Boston, and is an Art Director at Hill Holliday in Boston, Massachusetts. Born in China, Eric moved to Texas at the age of 13 and while growing up in Texas, Eric played and learned the game of football. Eric graduated from the University of North Texas with a BFA in Communication Design.
Trainer, Cliff Ashley, Cliff is returning to the team for his 4th season in 2009. He is nationally certified as an ATC by the National Athletic Trainer's Association and holds a bachelor's degree in Sports Science/Athletic Training from Colby Sawyer College in NH and a master's degree in Clinical Exercise Physiology from Northeastern University, where he also taught Athletic Training classes to undergraduates.
Cliff is the former head athletic trainer of 8 years for Berkshire School in Sheffield, MA, has worked with the US Women's Rugby Team, and has experience in both minor league baseball for the AA Portland Sea Dogs and in minor league hockey for the AHL's Maine Mariners (now the Providence Bruins). He currently works at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.
Minority Owner, General Manager, Strength and Conditioning Coach, Ben Brown. 2009 will mark Ben's 5th season with the Intensity as Strength and Conditioning Coach , 4th year as GM/Minority Owner with Majority Owner Tricia Donovan, and 7th season of involvement with Women's Professional Football.
Ben was born in Boston, Massachusetts, graduated from Canton High School, and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Georgia Tech. A Captain in the United States Marine Corps, he has served on active and reserve duty from 1992-present.
A firm believer in the improving athletic performance through research- and evidence-based knowledge, Ben has earned numerous national accreditations and certifications that include: A Strength and Conditioning Specialist (twice re-certified with distinction) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association, a Level 1 Track and Field Coach through the USA Track and Field Association, and a Sports Performance Coach through USA Weightlifting.
A Personal Trainer from 1998-present, Ben has trained professional athletes, previously-sedentary individuals, and everyone in between. An avid powerlifter, Ben has placed 3rd or higher in five state-level competitions and holds multiple American records. He has run the Boston Marathon three times and currently works for the UniFirst Corporation as an Operations Engineer/Project Manager, where he has been since 2001.
