Temple University Athletics
Mark D'Onofrio Promoted to Assistant Head Coach
1.25.08 | Football
Jan. 25, 2008
PHILADELPHIA - Temple head football coach Al Golden has promoted defensive coordinator Mark D'Onofrio to assistant head coach, it was announced on Friday. D'Onofrio will continue in his role as defensive coordinator with additional administrative duties.
"It is a great privilege to introduce Mark D'Onofrio in his new capacity as Assistant Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator for the Temple Football Owls," Golden said. "What Mark has done with our defense between years one and two is truly exceptional; considering that we did not have any seniors on the depth chart and started four freshmen and five sophomores. Coach D'Onofrio is a brilliant coach, a tremendous motivator of young men, and widely considered amongst the best recruiters in the business. He will do an outstanding job is his expanded role as assistant head coach."
D'Onofrio, who was Golden's teammate at Penn State before becoming a colleague at Virginia, enters his third season at Temple and ninth season of collegiate coaching. Last fall during its inaugural season of Mid-American Conference play, Temple led the MAC in five defensive statistical categories, including red zone defense which also ranked first nationally.
Toting the No. 1 defense in the MAC, Temple was only one of four teams to play an entire I-A schedule. The Owls allowed 17.5 points per game in the final six MAC games. Excluding the seven non-offensive touchdowns allows, the scoring average for the season was 22.2 points per game which ranked No. 1 in the league and 28th nationally of 119 schools. The 22.2 points per game were half the total points that were surrendered by the Temple defense in 2005.
As sophomores, DT Andre Neblett and DB Dominique Harris earned All-MAC honors. A starter in all 12 games, Neblett had 42 tackles, including 18 solo takedowns, and 4.5 sacks. Harris, who started every game at safety, led all Owl defenders with 81 tackles, including 41 solos. He had a team-best five pass break-ups, a team-best three interceptions, and two forced fumbles.
In 2005, D'Onofrio coached the inside linebackers in Virginia'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. Cedric Peerman ranked 15th nationally in kickoff returns as the UVa kickoff return unit ranked 18th in the country.
In his first season at UVa, D'Onofrio worked with All-American Heath Miller, who owns all school records for tight end receiving and won the Mackey Award as the nation's best tight end. Virginia also ranked second in the country in kickoff returns with a 26.6-yard average, UVa's highest average since 1963. Miller and Alvin 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. A 1992 graduate, D'Onofrio earned his bachelor's degree in labor and industrial relations.
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. His playing career was cut short by an injury, and he retired in 1994.
