Jimmy Barbarise, LIU's new flag football coach, is also the star of Amazon Prime organized crime series

Long Island University's new flag football coach has a most unusual resume.

Jimmy Barbarise, 55, from Centereach was hired this week to coach the school's fledgling women's flag football program, which will begin play this fall.

He's an accomplished flag football player and coach, most recently leading the University of Tampa to the No. 3 ranking in the country. 

But he's also the star and creator of the Amazon Prime organized crime series, "Capo: Rise to Power," which is in its second season.

So how did Barbarise carve out such an interesting career path.

“I always wanted to act as a kid. I wrote an alternate ending to 'The Godfather' in elementary school,” Barbarise said. “I lost my brother to cancer [nine] years ago, and he told me there’s no tomorrow .. . you have to chase your dreams.”

Barbarise's dreams are coming true, both on and off the field. He has co-starred or played background characters in short films and series since 2021. Barbarise said the connections he made in show business helped him get his current show into production.

Barbarise plays the head of an organized crime family that moves to Long Island to escape a curse put on the family by a witch. He describes the show as, "Sopranos meets Stranger Things."

Barbarise said that it has plenty of Long Island flavor, including references to his favorite team, the Islanders. The first season is running on Amazon Prime, and is being streamed for free on Tubi.

Barbarise assures his players that his mobster persona is purely fiction.

“I invited the entire University of Tampa team to the premiere,” he said. “I reminded them it’s just acting, and my character is separate from me.”

LIU announced Barbarise's hiring on Wednesday, marking another milestone for women's flag football, one of the fast-growing sports in the country.

“We hired Coach Jimmy because he brings an engaging and dynamic presence to LIU,” Director of Athletics Elliott Charles said in a statement to Newsday. “He has a unique and proven record of success across multiple professional industries, including a long-standing track record of success in flag football. Now, Coach Jimmy is returning home with plans to go all-in coaching flag football. I’m excited to see his vision come to life.”

For Barbarise, the move is deeply personal.

“Long Island is where I learned to played flag, which drew my passion to coaching,” he said. “It’s an amazing feeling how it’s come full circle to be able to come back and now coach here where you were raised.”

Barbarise spent the past three seasons leading the Tampa flag football team to a 28-10 record and a No. 3 national ranking. Previously, he coached high school flag football in Florida, including launching the program at Classical Preparatory School (Spring Hill, Florida), where he petitioned for the first girls flag team and won a state title three years later.

“The beauty of this situation is that I’ve done the grassroots, implementing recruiting processes, team bonding, game planning,” Barbarise said. “So we’re going to hit the ground running.”

He hopes to recruit a few players he coached at Tampa, and emphasizes building a culture rooted in character.

“Character is paramount,” he said. “From being an athlete, what I remember back then is the brotherhood created, so the sisterhood I want to start from the inception is very important to me. Once we lay that foundation, everything will fall into place.”

LIU becomes the second Long Island college with a varsity women’s flag football program, following St. Joseph’s, which debuted last spring. SUNY Old Westbury plans to launch as a club this fall. Nationally, LIU joins three other NCAA Division I schools adding the sport, which is headed for its Olympic debut at the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.