Temple University Athletics
MARK D'ONOFRIO NAMED TEMPLE DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR
12.14.05 | Football
PHILADELPHIA - Mark D'Onofrio, who spent the last two seasons as an assistant at Virginia, has been named Temple's defensive coordinator by head football coach Al Golden. D'Onofrio, who was Golden's teammate at Penn State before becoming a colleague at Virginia, played professionally with the Green Bay Packers and has seven seasons of collegiate coaching experience.
"Football fans in this area of the country remember Mark D'Onofrio for his intensity, toughness, and leadership on the field," said Golden. "I can honestly say that Mark has brought those same qualities to the coaching arena. I have known Mark and his family for the past 19 years and spent the last two years coaching with him. This guy is bright, quick-witted, diligent and shares my passion for teaching and recruiting. I cannot begin to express how fortunate we are to have him in the Temple football family."
This past season, D'Onofrio coached the inside linebackers in UVA's 3-4 scheme that was the under the direction of Golden, who served as coordinator. In 2004, D'Onofrio was in charge of tight ends. He was responsible for special teams in both of his seasons in Charlottesville.
Linebacker Kai Parham earned first team All-ACC honors under D'Onofrio's tutelage in 2005 after making nine sacks, the second most for an inside linebacker in league history. Kicker Connor Hughes was also a first team All-ACC selection, ranking seventh nationally in field goals and 33rd in scoring. Freshman Cedric Peerman ranked 15th nationally in kickoff returns as the UVA kickoff return unit ranked 18th among all I-A programs.
In his first season at UVA, D'Onofrio worked with All-American Heath Miller, who owns all school records for tight end receiving. The winner of the Mackey Award as the nation's best tight end, Miller also earned first-team All-ACC honors for the second year in a row. Additionally, D'Onofrio oversaw a kicking game that featured first-team All-ACC honoree Alvin Pearman. Pearman had 314 punt return yards, the most by a Cavalier in 14 years. Virginia also ranked second in the country in kickoff returns with a 26.6-yard average, UVA's highest average since 1963. Miller and Pearman were selected in the first and fourth rounds of the 2005 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers and Jacksonville Jaguars, respectively.
D'Onofrio arrived in Charlottesville after three years at Rutgers, where he served as linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator. Under his tutelage, linebacker Gary Brackett was named Rutgers' MVP in 2001 and 2002. Brackett is in his third season with the Indianapolis Colts and starts at middle linebacker.
D'Onofrio broke into the collegiate coaching ranks in 1999 at Saint Peter's College in New Jersey where he coached the linebackers. He then spent the 2000 season as an assistant coach at Georgia, where he worked with the Bulldogs' defense.
The North Bergen (N.J.) native played at Penn State, where he starred at both inside and outside linebacker from 1988-91. He led the Nittany Lions in sacks (11) as a sophomore and tackles (71) as a junior. As a senior, he was elected captain and finished second in total tackles despite missing six games with an injury. He set the Penn State school record for causing the most fumbles in one season (five) and finished his career ranked in the top 10 in sacks with 15.
D'Onofrio was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the second round (34th overall pick) of the 1992 NFL draft and started at inside linebacker as a rookie in 1992. His playing career was cut short by an injury and he retired in 1994.
Born March 17, 1969, D'Onofrio earned his bachelor's degree in labor and industrial relations from Penn State in 1992. He is married to the former Lucia Mariucci of Marlboro, N.J. The couple has two sons, Jack (9/5/02) and Thomas (7/7/05).
