Coach Mark Duda leads his Lackawanna College football team onto the field.
Lackawanna College’s football program has been on the rise for many years now.
The relatively new program has grown from very humble beginnings to now having games featuring on ESPN+.
All of these improvements have run through the head coach, Mark Duda.
Duda sat down to answer a few questions on the program he has been instrumental in.
Before that he spoke a bit about his history before coming to Lackawanna College.
“I went to Wyoming Valley West for high school then eventually to the University of Maryland. After college I was drafted in the fourth round (of the NFL draft by) the, at the time, St. Louis Cardinals. I played for a few years there before I was released and came back to live in Dallas, Pennsylvania.”
With his pro career at an end, Duda was looking to get into coaching. That’s when he saw that Lackawanna College had just started a program and was looking for coaching staff.
“I applied for the head coach position the first year, but I didn’t get it. I ended up becoming the defensive coordinator under Wally Chambers, the head coach at the time. The following season I was promoted to that position where I have been for the last 30 years.”
The questions then came to Duda’s work in building the program.
When the program was officially established in 1993, it had very little funding and was about as barebones as it got. Duda stated that things really started to change once they established their first dorm. This allowed them to take in more players from around the country. Expanding their recruiting range farther than ever. Willingness to take on all challengers also set them apart as they grew.
“We weren’t afraid to take on teams big and small. We accepted the chance to play any team no matter the skill level. After seasons of doing that, we started to have guys go from our program to big name schools. This only expanded our name further which attracted even better prospects to the program.”
Lackawanna College has a very unique program from other football programs, but the reason why is not noticeable at first glance. Duda attributes this to their player development. The program gets good athletes who are not yet finished products. The program then focuses on building that athlete into a fully fledged player that can contribute well during a game.
“Whether it’s academic issues, lack of playtime previously, or maybe a late growth spurt. Whatever it is that needs to be developed we will work on. The goal is to have them become that fully formed player that they have the potential to become,” Duda said.
This is not something lost on the players that come to Lackawanna.
Devin Harper, a linebacker, and Alex Fox, an offensive guard, both had these kinds of qualities in mind when selecting Lackawanna as their school. Fox felt as if this was the best way to truthfully up his game.
“I chose Lackawanna College because in many ways it was a better path for me in the long run and the coaching staff here just felt like they could get me to the next level.”
Harper felt like it was a no brainer to pick Lackawanna College as his school.
“I chose Lackawanna because I felt it was the best for me, and there is no juco better,” he said. “Academic and Athletic wise. I didn’t even have to take a visit to know Lackawanna was for me. Even just to see what coach Duda has done to the program makes you wanna be a part of the program.”
Both of these quotes exemplify the type of program Mark Duda wanted to create. It is a place focused on taking athletes and having them meet and exceed their potential. The program only continues to grow with games being played on ESPN+.
