Mark Duda

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A graduate of Wyoming Valley West High School in Plymouth, Duda starred in football in high school. In 1979, he was awarded a full sports (football) scholarship to the University of Maryland, and enrolled in the General Studies Degree Program. In 1983, he was drafted into the National Football League by the St. Louis/Phoenix Football Cardinals and withdrew before completing my degree. He was selected to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference; Coaches All-American Second Team; All ACC Player of the Week vs. North Carolina State and North Carolina; Starting Defensive Lineman, East-West Shrine Bowl, Palo Alto, California; Aloha Bowl, Honolulu, Hawaii; Tangerine Bowl, Orlando, Florida; All-American Strength Team; Strongest Terp Award; University of Maryland Career Sack Record Holder. He was chosen in the fourth round of the 1983 National Football League draft. Mark started seven games at defensive tackle as a rookie, received three game balls vs. Washington, Dallas, and New Orleans. In 1985 he was second on the team with 7.5 quarterback sacks, and led the defensive line in tackles. Following his retirement from professional football in 1988, he returned to college at East Stroudsburg University in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. In May, 1991, he acquired a B.S. in Physical Education (Pedagogy Concentration), graduating cum laude. He is presently enrolled in the School Counseling graduate degree program at the University of Scranton, Scranton, Pennsylvania. Mark was a defensive line coach for two years at East Stroudsburg University, and spent one year as defensive coordinator for one of the Wilkes-Barre high schools, Meyers, before coming to Lackawanna Junior College. He was appointed enrollment advisor and head football coach at Lackawanna Junior College in March, 1994, after a year as the college’s assistant football coach and defensive coordinator. He was working in the enrollment management office at the time of his appointment. In 1994, in his debut as Lackawanna Junior College’s head football coach, Duda led the Falcons to the Seaboard Conference Championship, an appearance in the country’s most prestigious junior college football bowl, the Midwest Bowl, and a 9-2 record. Duda was inducted into the University of Maryland Wall of Fame in April, 1994.