"Football fans in this area of the country remember Mark D'Onofrio for his intensity, toughness and leadership on the field. 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 20 years and spent the last three 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." Head Coach Al Golden

D'Onofrio in Action

Mark D'Onofrio, who was Al Golden's teammate at Penn State before becoming a colleague at Virginia, is in his third season at Temple. After serving as the Owls' defensive coordinator for two seasons, D'Onofrio was promoted to assistant head coach/defensive coordinator in the spring of 2008 by Golden. D'Onofio, who played professionally with the Green Bay Packers, has nine seasons of collegiate coaching experience.

Last fall during its inaugural season of Mid-American Conference play, D'Onofrio guided the Temple defense to new heights. TU 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, DT Andre Neblett and DB Dominique Harris earned All-MAC honors as sophomores in 2007. In 2005, 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. 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.

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.

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 (6) and Thomas (3).

THE D'ONOFRIO FILE

PERSONAL

Year Coaching: 10th

College: Penn State `92 B.A. Labor and Industrial Relations

High School: North Bergen (N.J.)

COACHING

Temple

2006 to Present - Defensive Coordinator

Virginia

2005 - Inside Linebackers/Special Teams

2004 - Tight Ends/Special Teams

Rutgers

2002-03 - Linebackers/Recruiting Coord.

2001 - Linebackers

Georgia

2000 - Defensive Assistant

Saint Peter's

1999 - Linebackers

PLAYING

Penn State

1988-91 - Linebacker

Green Bay Packers

1992-94 - Linebacker

BOWL EXPERIENCE

As a coach (3):
2005 Music City Bowl
2004 MPC Computers Bowl
2000 Oahu Bowl

As a player (4):
1992 Fiesta Bowl
1990 Blockbuster Bowl
1989 Holiday Bowl
1988 Citrus Bowl