Brian Bubna enters his eighth year as the head football coach at MIT in 2025. He was appointed to the position on March 20, 2018 after serving on the coaching staff for nine seasons, including as the team's defensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator. He has a career head coaching record of 31-26 (.544) through six seasons (MIT did not compete during the Fall of 2020).
In his first two seasons at the helm of the program, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bubna was twice named as the NEWMAC Coach of the Year after leading the Engineers to back-to-back NEWMAC Championships and NCAA Tournament berths in 2018 and 2019.
In the 2019 season, the Engineers finished at 7-3 overall and 6-1 in the conference, as the team posted a five-game winning streak to advance to the NCAA Tournament. The squad defeated WPI in a double-overtime thriller in early November and then in the regular-season finale, the Engineers rallied for a 43-40 road win at Springfield College to claim the NEWMAC title and the automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.
In 2018, the MIT finished with a 9-2 overall mark, a 6-1 league record and a perfect 5-0 slate at home as the defense posted three shutouts over a four-week span and held six opponents under 10 points. The program had 15 individuals recognized by the NEWMAC with All-Conference honors and one player named to the New England Football Writers Division II/III All-New England Team.
In 2017, the Engineers finished with a 7-3 overall record and a 5-2 mark in the first season of NEWMAC play. Defensively, Bubna’s unit allowed just 16.3 points per game and a league-low 121.1 passing yards per contest. The Engineer defense was second in the conference in interceptions with 17 and led the NEWMAC in fumble recoveries with 12. In addition, MIT’s defense had three NEWMAC All-Conference honorees, including a pair of First Team selections.
During his tenure as an assistant coach, the Engineers recorded three consecutive winning seasons for the first time in program history that was capped by a 10-1 mark in 2014 as the Engineers won the league championship and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
In the summer of 2017, Bubna founded the Cardinal and Gray Football Clinic, which was hosted at MIT and brought a number of high-level recruits to the MIT campus in July.
In addition to his role as an assistant football coach, he has also worked as the department’s varsity equipment manager throughout his tenure. He is certified by the American Equipment Managers Association (AEMA) and was also the 2015 MIT Infinite Mile Award Winner.
Before coming to MIT, Bubna spent one season at the Maine Maritime Academy where he coached the defensive line for a squad that won the 2009 NEFC championship and played in the NCAA Tournament. Bubna started coaching football as a volunteer with the Charlestown Townies Amateur team.
As a player, Bubna was a four-year member of the Hobart College football program and a three-year letter winner for the Statesmen. During his career, the Statesmen posted an overall record of 29-11 as he was also a 2002-03 Statesman Scholar nominee. Bubna graduated from Hobart with a Bachelor of Arts degrees in Media and Society in 2004, along with his Masters of Sport Leadership degree from Northeastern University in 2016.
