Recruiting Areas: Northwestern Pennsylvania, New England, Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Montana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming The 2015 campaign marks the 14th for Mark Matlak as the head coach of the Allegheny football program. With a career record of 62-69, he enters the new season ranked second in career victories in the program’s long, illustrious history.
Matlak was introduced as the 33rd head football coach in program history in 2002, mentoring the Gators to a 5-5 finish in his first season, before leading the squad to a 7-4 mark and the North Coast Athletic Conference championship the following season. In 2003, the Gators began the year 0-3, but roared back with a perfect 7-0 conference record to qualify for the NCAA Division III playoffs, which ended in a heartbreaking one-point loss to Montclair State. Following the season, Matlak was voted the NCAC’s Coach of the Year.
During Matlak’s tenure, he has coached three All-Americans and 70 All-NCAC selections, including 27 First Team All-NCAC picks. A total of 12 single-season Gator records have been broken since Matlak took over the reigns of the program. In addition, his teams have performed well academically. Three players have been voted CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, most recently seeing 2013 graduate Brad Burkley earn the honor. Under Matlak’s watch, six Gator gridders have been named to the North Coast Athletic Conference’s Academic Honor Roll, which was instituted in 2014 and recognizes student-athletes of at least sophomore status who hold a cumulative grade point average over 3.50.
Under Matlak, the Gators have finished .500 or better in 10 of his 13 years behind the bench. During a 2012 season in which the Gators finished 5-5 overall and 4-3 in the highly-competitive NCAC, Matlak presided over one of the program’s most noteworthy victories. In the season finale at Hiram, the Gators topped the Terriers 13-0 for the program’s 500th all-time win, as Allegheny is one of just 30 NCAA Division III teams to reach the 500-win plateau. Following the 2012 campaign, eight Gators garnered NCAC honors, including two First Team selections, while three Gators were named Capital One Academic All-District.
In 2011, the Gators produced the first All-American in nearly a decade in tackle Sam Taylor, while two other players earned All-Region laurels. The 2010 Gators finished 7-3, with all three losses coming to nationally-ranked foes, including a three-point loss to fifth-ranked Wittenberg, and a one-point overtime loss to No. 18 Case Western Reserve. The Gators garnered a score of post-season accolades following the successful season, including an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, an ESPN First Team Academic All-American, two All-Region selections, and 11 All-NCAC honorees.
Matlak began his career as an assistant coach at Allegheny under head coach Sam Timer. He served for five seasons (1978-82), before accepting a position at the University of New Hampshire, where he would remain for 14 years. He began as the Wildcats’ defensive ends coach, mentoring such players as Ilia Jarostchuk, who played for the New England Patriots. He was then promoted to defensive coordinator, and helped guide New Hampshire to an 82-59-1 record over 13 years. The Wildcats won three Yankee Conference Championships over the span, and, in 1996, New Hampshire landed two players on the Yankee Conference 50th Anniversary All-Time Team. In 2000, Matlak was named the Assistant Coach of the Year by the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston.
While at New Hampshire, Matlak coached five players, and recruited four others, who were either drafted into the NFL or signed as rookie free agents, including Jerry Azumah, who won the 1998 Walter Payton Award, given annually to the best player in Division I-AA (Now Division-I FCC).
Prior to beginning his legacy as one of the region’s top educators and coaches, Matlak enjoyed a fine playing career at the college level. A 1978 Allegheny grad, he was a four-year letterman at fullback, being named First Team All-Presidents’ Athletic Conference three times, highlighted by his selection as PAC Offensive Player of the Year following his senior campaign. He ran for 2,382 yards for his career, amassing 28 touchdowns. For his prowess, Matlak was named to the PAC’s 60th Anniversary All-Time Team in 2014.
During his time as a student, Matlak was also a four-year starter on the Gator baseball team, and during his first stint on the Allegheny staff, he doubled as the Gators’ head baseball coach from 1978-82. For all of his contributions to the development and success of Gator athletics, Matlak was a 1989 inductee into the Allegheny College Hall of Fame.
