SCHENECTADY, NY -- Union College Head Football Coach Jeff Behrman has announced the hiring of two full-time assistant coaches. Rick Flanders will be the Defensive Coordinator and Ben Martin will serve as the Offensive Coordinator and Offensive Line Coach.

Flanders previously coached for 24 years in the Ivy League both at the University of Pennsylvania and Yale University. Martin previously coached with the Miami Dolphins in the National Football League, Wagner College and Princeton University.

"I am excited that Rick Flanders has enthusiastically accepted the Defensive Coordinator/Secondary position at Union College," commented Behrman. "Our program is fortunate to have an individual with his amount of experience and success.  His proven success as a defensive coordinator, mentor and recruiter of quality student-athletes speaks for itself.  I look forward to the success that our student-athletes will experience under his leadership."

Flanders coached for 19 seasons at Yale through last year. He served as the Defensive Coordinator and was promoted to Associate Head Coach in March of 2007. Flanders spent the first seven years focusing on defensive backs and the last four working with linebackers. Under his watch, the Yale defense was ranked No. 1 in the FCS in scoring defense during his tenure. The Bulldogs won the 1999 and 2006 Ivy League Championships.

Flanders came to Yale from the University of Pennsylvania, where he was secondary coach for five seasons for Head Coach Al Bagnoli, a former Union head coach. He is a 1979 University of Maine graduate who helped coach Penn to Ivy titles in 1993 and 1994. Flanders' defensive backs helped the Penn defense rank nationally in both seasons, including No. 1 in pass efficiency defense for 1994. Before heading to Philadelphia, Flanders was head coach of the undefeated 1991 Dean Junior College team and was the linebacker and special teams coach at Lafayette from 1987 to 1990. In 1986 he was the defensive coordinator at American International College, after three seasons as linebacker and defensive back coach at SUNY-Albany, where he served as head lacrosse coach for two years. Flanders earned a degree in physical education from Maine and a master's in education from the University at Albany.

"I am extremely proud that Ben Martin has accepted the Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line position at Union College," stated Behrman. "His coaching experience at every level of competitive football along with his experience as a Division III student-athlete will immediately benefit our program.  His success as a recruiter at the college level and his passion to mentor the Division III student-athlete were key qualities that stood out during the interview process."

Martin was an offensive assistant for the Dolphins in the 2014 and 2015 seasons. He served as an offensive line coach and run game coordinator at Wagner College in the 2013 season, and was at Princeton in 2012. Martin was an integral part of a Princeton program that posted its biggest turnaround in more than 20 years. The Tigers went 5-5 in Martin's one season there, including a 4-3 Ivy League record. These marks came one year after Princeton went 1-9 overall and1-6 in the Ivies. He also served for two seasons as Offensive Quality Control Coach at Texas A&M under Mike Sherman, who won three NFC North titles while as head coach of the Green Bay Packers.

Prior to his tenure at Texas A&M, Martin spent the 2008 and 2009 seasons as run-game/recruiting coordinator at Merrimack College, where he helped develop one of the nation's most prolific Division II offenses. During his second year, Merrimack won the Northeast -10 Conference title. Martin began his coaching career at Curry College as an offensive line/tight ends coach. Curry won a conference title in 2007 and earned its first playoff victory in school history. Before embarking on his collegiate coaching career, Martin graduated from Trinity College and was a standout offensive lineman. He helped the Bantams set a NESCAC record win streak while winning three conference titles prior to his 2005 graduation.