Head coach
John Marzka is entering his 15th year at the helm of the Albright football program in the 2021 season. Named head coach in 2007, he and his staff inherited a 2-8 team and have since directed one of the most impressive turnarounds in NCAA history. The Lions have amassed a 85-48 record and seven post-season wins since Marzka’s arrival. His 74 percent win ratio prior to the start of the 2010 season was the best for any Albright football coach with at least three seasons leading the program, while his 26 wins were the most of any Lions gridiron coach during his first three years on the job.
In 2019, Marzka saw four players earn All-MAC honors with wide receiver Kevin Zehner, linebacker Sam Viera, and Chris Holbrook at returner all making the second team. Offensive lineman Ethan Jones rounded out the bunch by earning All-MAC honorable mention.
Marzka assumed a rebuilding project in 2018, and saw three players earn All-MAC honors with two of them being first team. He also coached wide receiver Kyle Dickerson to D3football.com All-East Region Third Team honors.
In 2017, Albright started the season 5-0 before posting its second consecutive 8-3 season. The Lions earned a berth in postseason play for the seventh straight season as they hosted Susquehanna in the 2017 MAC-Centennial Bowl Series. Ten Albright players earned 12 All-MAC postseason accolades which included six players earning first team honors.
Albright dropped its first two games of the season before becoming red-hot on the field and winning seven straight games to finish with an overall record of 8-3. The Lions topped Franklin and Marshall in a thrilling fashion to the 2016 MAC-Centennial Bowl Series. Fifteen Albright players earned 16 All-MAC postseason recognition, which tied the 2013 team for the second-highest number of selections in school history. The Lions led all teams with eight First-Team selections.
Marzka led the Lions to the Middle Atlantic Conference championship in 2015 and was rewarded by being named the MAC Coach of the Year and the ECAC South Coach of the Year. Albright finished the season with a 10-2 overall record and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Playoffs. The Lions played their first NCAA home playoff game in school history and defeated Norwich 49-0. Fifteen Albright players were named to the MAC All-Conference team and two players, Daniel Sobolewski and Jonni Cassano, were named All-American.
Marzka turned in one of his best coaching performances during the 2014 campaign. The Lions began the season 1-4 before rebounding to record six consecutive wins to finish the regular season with a 6-4 record. The Lions earned their fourth consecutive postseason trip when they earned a spot in the ECAC South Atlantic Bowl. Eleven Albright players were honored on the MAC All-Conference team.
The 2013 season produced a second straight 8-3 record and ECAC bowl victory. A senior-heavy team defeated nationally-ranked Lebanon Valley, falling just short of the MAC championship due to an overtime loss at Lycoming. Senior safety Drew Peterson and sophomore kicker Daniel Sobolewski earned All-American honors from multiple organizations, including Peterson's selection to the Associated Press Little All-America squad (Albright's first since 1998). The Lions had 16 All-MAC selections (second-most in program history), two D3football.com All-Region players and four All-ECAC nods.
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Albright went 8-3 in 2012, making a return trip to the ECAC South-East Bowl. This time the Lions emerged victorious, with a thrilling fourth quarter comeback on the road against Franklin & Marshall. Albright also rallied from 19 points down on the road to defeat #14 Kean University. The 2012 campaign brought 11 All-MAC selections and two All-American nods. Senior wide receiver Scott Pillar was named to the prestigious AFCA Coaches All-America team and signed a rookie free agent contract with the St. Louis Rams in the spring.
Marzka led the Lions to a 6-5 mark in 2011 and a spot in the ECAC South-East Bowl. With one of the more difficult schedules in recent team history, all five of Albright’s losses came to teams that went 8-3 or better. Albright set several school and conference records in a 65-26 home win over Wilkes, and quarterback T.J. Luddy set a MAC record for completion percentage in a victory at Stevenson. Albright’s special teams were especially strong, earning two All-Region recognitions (punter Brooks Mitzkewich and gunner Matt Hnatiuk). Additionally, wide receiver Scott Pillar was named to the All-Region and All-ECAC teams, fullback Marty Reinhardt added All-ECAC honors, and Pillar was named a BSN All-American.
In 2010, despite finishing with a 5-5 mark overall, Marzka worked extremely hard to develop and mold the future of the Albright football program. In his fourth season with the Lions, Marzka led the Red and White to the program’s first win over Geneva College in over 70 years, as part of the first-ever PAC-MAC Challenge. He also compiled a three-game win streak in the middle of the season, in which the Lions outscored those conference rivals 114-56. Also in that season, junior Josan Holmes added his name to the program’s record books by becoming the all-time and single-season rushing touchdown leader. At the end of the 2010 campaign a combined seven players earned all-conference honors, which was third most in the MAC.
The Lions’ 2009 campaign proved to be the most successful season in Albright football history, as the Red and White finished 11-2 and advanced to the 3rd round of the NCAA National Playoffs for the first time in school history. Albright’s 11 wins were the most ever in the 103 years of the storied program, while their final ranking of ninth in the country was the school’s highest AFCA national ranking ever. The Lions also ranked 3rd in the final ECAC-Lambert Meadowlands Division III Football Poll after making their first trip to the NCAA playoffs since 1996.
In the final regular season game, Albright played themselves into the NCAA tournament with a thrilling come-from-behind, double overtime victory over Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) rival Lebanon Valley College 44-43, to finish the regular season at 9-1 and receive an at-large bid to the post-season. In the first round, Albright went on the road to upset higher-seeded Alfred University 35-25. The Lions then traveled to Doylestown, Pa., for round two, to unseat Delaware Valley College 27-3 and avenge their only loss of the regular season. The Lions’ run came to an end in the national quarterfinals vs. eventual runner-up Mount Union College in Alliance, OH.
This record-setting season produced 10 All-Conference selections, three D3football.com All-East Region honorees, three ECAC 1st Team All-Stars, MAC Offensive Player of the Year, ECAC Southeast Player of the Year, ECAC overall Division III Player of the Year, D3football.com East Region Player of the Year and one D3football.com All-American selection. Additionally, among D3football.com and the ECAC and MAC Conferences, the Lions earned 12 “Player of the Week” honors for outstanding individual game performances in 2009. Most importantly, the Red and White put 11 Lions on the MAC Academic Honor Roll, and 32 student-athletes attained a 3.0 GPA or higher for the fall 2009 semester.
In recognition of his leadership, Marzka was named the 2009 John C. Whitehead / Nike NCAA Division III Coach of the Year. In accepting the award, Marzka responded, “This is quite an honor, but it is merely a reflection of the hard work and commitment of our coaching staff and student-athletes towards reaching their full potential. When you are able to provide an environment where each player can strive daily to reach his full potential as a person, as a student and as an athlete, the results on the field and the accolades simply take care of themselves.”
In 2008, Marzka led the Lions to the program’s first MAC Championship in 11 years. Outstanding performances again abounded, as Albright boasted eight All-Conference honorees, MAC Rookie of the Year, two All-East Region selections, three Southeast All-Stars and one All-American honoree. Additionally, eight players earned “Player of the Week” honors for individual game production. A 2008 candidate for the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year award, Marzka led the Lions to their first eight-win season since 1997 and first post-season bowl victory since 2004, as they beat perennial New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) power Montclair State University, 42-14, in the ECAC South Central Championship Game. For the fall 2008 semester, Albright placed 13 players on the MAC Academic Honor Roll, while 33 student-athletes attained a 3.0 or higher GPA.
?In 2007, Marzka’s first season at Albright, he led the Lions to a second place finish in the MAC and an appearance in the ECAC South Atlantic Bowl. With a 7-4 record, Marzka and his staff achieved one of the best year-to-year turnarounds in all of Division III, as the Red and White won 5 more games than in the previous season. Along the way, the Lions produced eight All-Conference selections, the MAC Offensive Player of the Year, two All-East Region honorees, one All-American and one Academic All-American selection. Individual Lions received “Player of the Week” recognition a total of 16 times, 11 student-athletes were named to the MAC Academic Honor Roll and 33 players achieved a 3.0 or higher GPA for the fall 2007 semester.
As Albright’s quarterbacks coach, Marzka developed one of the most successful quarterbacks in Albright history. Tanner Kelly, a December 2009 graduate, started 42 games over his career while completing 65% of his passes for 9,616 yards and 80 touchdowns. In all, Kelly accounted for 10,576 yards of total offense, rushed and threw for a combined 91 TDs and was nationally ranked in most NCAA statistical categories throughout his career. Kelly was named a “Player of the Week” an astonishing 16 times in his last 35 games and was named the Pretzel Bowl MVP a record three times in four years.
In 2009 alone, Kelly finished the season ranked 12th in the nation in Passing Efficiency (155.38) and 15th in the nation in Passing Yards (3,030), while his 68% completion rate was 6th best in the country. For his performance, Kelly was named a first team All-MAC selection as QB and the MAC Offensive Player of the Year. It marked the second season he was honored in both categories under Marzka’s tutelage. Kelly was also named both 1st Team All-East Region QB and East Region Player of the Year by D3football.com; while the ECAC named Kelly 1st Team DIII All-Star, Southeast Player of the Year and the overall Division III Player of the Year.
A native of Erie, Pa., Marzka earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from Allegheny College in 1991. He was a three-year letter winner and two-year starter at center for the Gators, and served as senior co-captain on the 1990 NCAA Division III National Championship team. Marzka was a two time first-team All-North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) selection as offensive center and named a Champion 1st Team All-American as a senior, after garnering honorable mention All-American honors his junior year. Marzka, the 1990 Claire Jackson Outstanding Offensive Lineman recipient, also helped the Gators earn 3 NCAC Championships, two trips to the NCAA Playoffs and a 36-7-2 overall record during his playing career.
Marzka began his coaching career in 1991 at Erie Academy, where he worked with both the offensive and defensive linemen. In 1992, he returned to Allegheny to coach the defensive line, while also serving as Assistant Academic Coordinator and Assistant Recruiting Coordinator. In 1994 he was elevated to Offensive Line Coach, Recruiting Coordinator and Academic Coordinator, and then served as the Gators’ Offensive Coordinator for the 1996 and 1997 seasons. During his six years coaching at Allegheny, the Gators compiled a 55-5 regular season record, won four NCAC championships and reached the NCAA Playoffs on four occasions.
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Through four seasons coaching the Gators’ offensive line (1994-1997), Marzka coached five All-Americans and two Academic All-Americans and developed ten offensive linemen to the All-NCAC first-team. Under Marzka’s guidance as Offensive Coordinator (1996-1997), the Gators led the NCAC in scoring and total offense in both seasons, as he coached five offensive All-Americans and 15 All-NCAC offensive players, with 11 earning first-team honors. As Allegheny’s Recruiting Coordinator (1994-1997), Marzka designed and led a recruiting strategy that laid the foundation for three NCAA Playoff appearances. As Academic Coordinator, he directed Allegheny’s support program that helped to graduate 126 of 128 (98%) senior football players over his tenure.
In 1998, Marzka was named Offensive Coordinator at Division 1-AA Fordham University. Under Marzka’s direction, the Rams’ offense set school records for both scoring and total offense, while five individual passing and receiving records also fell. The Rams went on to capture the storied Liberty Cup in 1998 with an impressive week-10 road victory over Patriot League rival Holy Cross.
In 2001 Marzka became the Associate Head Coach, Offensive Coordinator and Recruiting Coordinator at Thiel College. He helped the Tomcats reach new heights on the field, culminating in an 11-1 campaign in 2005 that included the school’s first ever NCAA national-playoff berth, first undefeated regular season since 1950 and first PAC Championship since 1972. Marzka’s 2005 offense totaled 4,833 yards, averaged 33 points, and set 25 school records. In his six seasons at Thiel, Marzka’s offense set or tied school records 56 times, while he coached four offensive All-Americans, two Academic All-Americans, five All-South Region players, one South Region Co-Offensive Player of the Year, one South Region Offensive Lineman of the Year, and 43 All-PAC offensive players.
As the Tomcats’ Quarterbacks Coach, Marzka guided the growth of the most successful QB in Thiel College history. Darrell Satterfield, a 2006 graduate, shattered 11 of a possible 16 school quarterbacking records in just two seasons as the signal caller. Satterfield was 18-4 as the starter, unprecedented by any quarterback in the 100+ year history of the program.
Marzka also served as Academic Coordinator during his time with the Tomcats. He created and implemented an academic support program that helped the Tomcat football team achieve a team GPA higher than the male student average for his last four consecutive semesters. For the fall 2006 semester, a record 39 players attained a 3.0 or higher GPA, 13 were named to the PAC Academic Honor Roll, and six players attained a perfect 4.0 GPA. For his efforts in academic excellence, Marzka received Thiel’s “2006 Distinguished Innovator Award.” In his capacity as the Tomcats’ Recruiting Coordinator, Marzka designed and led the execution of a recruiting model that built the foundation of players for the 2005 PAC Championship and 2nd round trip to the NCAA Playoffs.
On January 3, 2007, Marzka was named the 20th head football coach in Albright history at a press conference on campus. Dr. Steve George, Athletic Director at the time and Albright alumnus, said of Marzka’s appointment, “John Marzka is the right man at the right time for this critical leadership position. I am absolutely convinced that his plan of success will have a profound impact, not only on our football program, but on the entire Albright campus. He will truly inspire and educate the student and leader in each and every football player who straps on a helmet for Albright College.”
Marzka has one son, Riley.
To learn more about Marzka’s academic program click on the link below:
http://www.albright.edu/reporter/fall2009/beyond-the-game2.html
| The Marzka File |
| Year |
GP |
W |
L |
Pct. |
Notes |
| 2020 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.000 |
No regular season due to COVID-19 Outbreak |
| 2019 |
10 |
2 |
8 |
.200 |
|
| 2018 |
10 |
0 |
10 |
.000 |
|
| 2017 |
11 |
8 |
3 |
.727 |
MAC-Centennial Bowl Series |
| 2016 |
11 |
8 |
3 |
.727 |
MAC-Centennial Bowl Series Champion |
| 2015 |
12 |
10 |
2 |
.833 |
NCAA Playoffs Second Round/MAC Champions/MAC Coach of the Year/ECAC South Coach of the Year |
| 2014 |
11 |
6 |
5 |
.545 |
ECAC South Atlantic Bowl |
| 2013 |
11 |
8 |
3 |
.727 |
ECAC Southwest Bowl Champions |
| 2012 |
11 |
8 |
3 |
.727 |
ECAC Southeast Bowl Champions |
| 2011 |
11 |
6 |
5 |
.545 |
ECAC Southeast Bowl |
| 2010 |
10 |
5 |
5 |
.500 |
|
| 2009 |
13 |
11 |
2 |
.846 |
NCAA Playoffs Quarterfinals/Nike NCAA DIII Coach of the Year |
| 2008 |
11 |
8 |
3 |
.727 |
ECAC South Central Bowl Champions/Middle Atlantic Conference Champions |
| 2007 |
11 |
7 |
4 |
.636 |
ECAC South Atlantic Bowl |
| Career |
143 |
87 |
56 |
.608 |
|
