Saj Thakkar wrapped up his third season with the Maritime football team in 2017.
Maritime’s offense was once again led by Thakkar in the 2017 season, which saw the team finish with a 9-2 overall record. The offense totaled 37 points per game while amassing a program-record 4,490 yards of total offense. Following the season a total of 10 members of the offensive unit earned All-Conference accolades from the Eastern Collegiate Football Conference.
Following the 2017 season, Thakkar was featured in the American Football Coaches Association magazine ‘This is AFCA’, and also led a ‘Skills and Drills’ talk at the AFCA Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.
For the 2016 season, Thakkar moved into the role of offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach and guided Maritime’s offense to one of the program’s top passing seasons in program history. The offense set a single-season record with 14 passing touchdowns, and passing yards with 1,828 on 165. As a whole, the offense recorded 3,483 yard, which was the fourth best total in a single season for the Privateers.
Following the year in which the team went 6-5 overall in 2016, Thakkar was selected to the American Football Coaches Association 30 Under 30 Leadership Institute. The program, which is run by the AFCA and NCAA Leadership Development aim to identify and train the next generation of leaders in the football coaching profession, with Thakkar being one of six NCAA Division III coaches selected to the program.
In his first season with the team in 2015, Thakkar helped the squad to a 5-5 overall record while serving as Special Teams Coordinator and Defensive Backs Coach. As special teams coordinator, the unit excelled as the team converted on 80% of its field goals while averaging 53.8 yards per kickoff and 38.5 yards per punt. In the return game the team averaged 18.3 yards on kickoff returns, while totalling 8.3 yards per punt return.
Thakkar comes to Maritime from the Fitchburg State University in Fitchburg, Massachusetts where he served in a multitude of roles having most recently served as running backs coach. With the 6-4 Falcons in the fall of 2014, Thakkar’s rushing offense amassed 1,280 yards on the ground and reached the end zone on 10 occasions.
He has also experience coaching Fitchburg’s quarterbacks, and helped guide the team break the school record for passing touchdowns, completions and yards during the 2014 season. He also has experience having coached with the team’s special teams unit and also served in the video coordinator role for the team.
Off the field, Thakkar was responsible for many key recruiting areas for the Falcons as he focused primarily on Eastern Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and New Hampshire.
Prior to his time on the sideline, Thakkar was a member of the Falcons Football team for three seasons serving as both a wide receiver and quarterback with the team. Included in his three seasons with the team was a pair of wins over Maine Maritime Academy, and also a victory over Eastern Collegiate Football Conference opponent Becker.
Before his tenure in Fitchburg, he attended Western New England College and was a one-year member of the Golden Bear football team as a linebacker. While with the team, he helped the squad beat ECFC opponent Norwich in his first collegiate game, and was also a part five straight wins to close out the season.
In addition to collegiate football, Thakkar also worked several camp organizations including camps at Boston College, the Football University Camp and the Offense-Defense Camp.
Away from the gridiron, he also worked for LUK Inc. as a life skills counselor, and also at the North Central Charter High School as the head basketball coach of both the varsity and junior varsity programs.
Thakkar graduated with a degree in Business Administration and Management from Fitchburg State in May of 2013. He also received his Master’s Degree in Business Administration at Fitchburg in January of 2015.
