When Mike Columbo was summoned to a meeting Wednesday with Immaculata principal Ed Webber and athletic director Tom Gambino, he could not imagine for the life of him the premise of this sudden gathering.
If the veteran head football coach had hours at his disposal to formulate scenarios, the one that did transpire would have never crossed his mind.
Columbo was unexpectedly relieved of his duties after eight seasons and a 9-3 finish last year, and will be replaced by successful former Somerville head coach and 2011 Immaculata grad Dallas Whitaker.
This was first reported by MyCentralJersey.com.
“I’m in a little bit of a state of shock still,“ Columbo said. ”I mean, we won nine and eight games (2024) the last two years, and I felt we were headed the right way.
Columbo was 44-28 in his eight seasons at Immaculata and 158-122 overall in 29 years as a head coach. He’d also served at Delaware Valley, Summit and Manchester Regional.
“I just got summoned to the office and the AD and principal informed me that they were going in a different direction. That was it,” he said.
In the light of Immaculata’s success the past couple of years, Gambino was asked if Columbo’s dismissal suggested any deeper issues.
“That is not the case,” he said. “Just moving in a new direction.”
Dallas Whitaker guided Somerville to a 36-6 record and to two sectional finals from 1018 through 2021. He has been named new head coach at nearby Immaculata.
David Gard | For NJ Advance Media
It is actually a double-sided hit that knocked Columbo out of his role, as Jeff Vanderbeek enters as new program director of the football team while Whitaker handles the Xs and Os.
Vanderbeek is the former owner of the New Jersey Devils hockey team and longtime advisor and financial benefactor for the Somerville football program. He was co-head coach at the Ville with Chris Casamento in 2015 and sole head coach in 2016 and ‘17.
Two years after ending the long losing streak, Somerville finished 11-1 and won the Central, Group 3 sectional title behind an explosive offense orchestrated by Whitaker.
“We have been working to build a competitive program,” Gambino said in prepared statement. “This year, we will face some of New Jersey’s most formidable teams, and I know that our program could not be in better hands. We appreciate the efforts of Coach Columbo to build our program.”
Jeff Vanderbeek addresses the crowd before the start of the 2013 NHL Draft at the Prudential Center back when he was owner of New Jersey Devils.Tony Kurdzuk | The Star-Ledger
Immaculata – the only Somerset County program in the North Jersey-based Super Football Conference – will play a decidedly upgraded schedule this coming fall than what it faced in 2025.
Included on the Spartans’ 2026 schedule are Stepinac (NY) in Week 2, Pope John in Week 3, West Morris in Week 6, Morris Knolls in Week 7 and Seton Hall Prep in Week 9.
”We are grateful to Coach Columbo for sustaining the strong foundation of our program. Now, building a winning football program capable of competing at the highest level is a natural next step for Immaculata,” Webber said.
Whitaker served as head coach for just four seasons at Somerville upon following Vanderbeek, but he made a profound impact as an innovator on offense. His Pioneers were 36-6 from 2018 through ‘21 and he guided them to two sectional finals. He was an offensive consultant last season for a team that was 8-2 under third-year head coach Matt Bloom.
Columbo was set to return in 2026 with a number of talented standouts, such as sophomore quarterback Jaime Marin, junior wide receiver/DB Quinn Hayden, sophomore RB/LB Brian Cilento, junior RB/LB Jaiden Drake-Murray, junior TE/LB John McCabe, and junior DB Micah Smith.
“A couple of the kids came in to see me yesterday and they were pretty banged up,” Columbo said. “The athletic director and principal addressed them, and then they came to say goodbye to me. It was a sad day.
“We had some great relationships with these kids. It’s just a sad day,” he said.