When St. Joe’s began the task of replacing a coaching legend who amassed 169 wins and 13 Monsignor Martin Athletic Association championships during his tenure, it seemed sensible to select a candidate who had been closely affiliated with nearly every single one of those victories.

That’s precisely what St. Joe’s did this week in announcing that Dennis Gilbert will succeed former head football coach Bob O’Connor, who retired after the 2009 season. The announcement follows an extensive search involving more than 15 candidates from around the United States.

A 1984 St. Joe’s graduate, Gilbert was a sophomore defensive back for the Marauders in 1981 when O’Connor was elevated to the position that he would hold for 29 years. Following a senior season in which Gilbert earned All-Catholic honors at quarterback/cornerback, O’Connor immediately hired him to fill the junior varsity team’s head coaching vacancy.

Gilbert’s JV teams won 16 Monsignor Martin titles in 20 years and, in 1996, he was the recipient of the Frank A. Constantino “JV Coach of the Year” award. Six years later, he was inducted into the St. Joe’s Sports Hall of Fame.

Gilbert served as a varsity assistant under O’Connor for the past two seasons.

“Obviously, a great deal of the football knowledge that I’ve obtained over the past three decades has been taught to me by Bob,” Gilbert said in a statement. “From a philosophical standpoint, my plan going forward is to utilize some of those same general schemes while, at the same time, making sure to tailor our game plans to the specific strengths of our student-athletes.”

A Canisius College graduate and City of Buffalo police officer, Gilbert is part of a familial legacy of St. Joe’s alumni. His father Richard graduated from St. Joe’s in 1954 and then watched each of his four sons — Rick Jr. ‘80, Dennis ‘84, Mike ‘86 and Kevin ‘92 — be welcomed into the St. Joe’s community over a 12-year period. Gilbert’s sister, a Mt. St. Mary’s alum, even served as a St. Joe’s cheerleader in the early 1980s.

Looking to extend that tradition, Gilbert and his wife of 15 years, Kimberly, will be enrolling their eldest son, Dennis Jr., at St. Joe’s this fall, when the school will be celebrating its 150th anniversary. The Gilberts also have an 11-year-old daughter, Shannon, and a 9-year-old son, Patrick.

“We are very excited to announce our selection of Dennis Gilbert as the next head football coach at St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute,” said St. Joe’s President/Principal Robert T. Scott. “Dennis’ familiarity with our school’s long-standing traditions and Lasallian values, coupled with the intrinsic commitment and sense of community that comes along with graduating from St. Joe’s, really made him an ideal choice to lead the next generation of St. Joe’s student-athletes.”

Gilbert will begin his duties as head football coach immediately.