Mark Melnitsky

Mark Melnitsky begins the 18th season of his second stint as an assistant coach for the Bantams in 2023 and will serve as offensive coordinator for the 13th year. Melnitsky mentored Trinity’s tight ends and wide receivers as a graduate assistant in 1998 and 1999 and coached the Bantam offensive line since his return to Trinity in 2006, but will switch to coaching the Trinity quarterbacks this fall in addition to his coordinator duties. The Bantam offensive line led the nation in sacks allowed (two) in 2006 under his watch, and has topped the conference in scoring in five of the last nine years with 32.4 ppg in 2013, 38.1 ppg in 2016, 34.6 ppg in 2017, 36.0 ppg in 2018, and 30.8 ppg in 2019. 

Melnitsky’s offenses have consistently rewritten the Trinity and New England Small College Athletic Conference record books over recent years. The Bantams led the league and ranked seventh nationally in rushing (281 ypg) while also topping the league with 465 yards in total offense per game (2nd-most in College history), 35.1 ppg, and a 152.8 pass efficiency in 2012. Trinity paced the league with 38 total touchdowns and ranked No. 6 nationally in the red zone with points 91.4 percent of the time in 2016, while pacing the league in both scoring defense (10.6 ppg, 7th in nation) and scoring offense (34.6 ppg) and turnover margin (+1.50, 6th in nation) four seasons ago. Trinity topped the NESCAC in rushing (228 ypg), total offense (464.3 yards, 3rd-most in College history), scoring (36.0 ppg), and passing yards (2,120), while setting a new college record at 6.49 yards per play in 2018. The Bantams paced the league with 44 total touchdowns while earning 22 of those from the running game that year as well.  The Trinity offense led the league in touchdowns (39), passing yards per completion (18.7) and in pass efficiency (177.3) in 2019, and in pass efficiency (175.1) and total offense (286.6) in 2021.

Some of the top offensive players in Trinity history have also reached unprecedented heights under Melnitsky’s watch. Evan Bunker, the all-time leading rusher in NESCAC history, and Sonny Puzzo, Trinity’s all-time leader in total offense and touchdowns, are two that thrived under Melnitsky’s tutelage in the last six years. Max Chipouras, the 2018 NESCAC Co-Offensive Player of the Year, broke both the Trinity scoring record and the NESCAC rushing touchdown marks, while Jonathan Girard became Trinity's all-time leader in pass receptions, receiving yards, and touchdown catches in 2021. No less than 32 Melnitsky-coached offensive lineman have made the All-NESCAC Teams in the last 17 seasons, including two-time All-Americans Chris Simmons and Austin Baiardi and All-Americans Joe Magardino, Matt Porter, and Kyle Woodring.

Melnitsky was previously the offensive line coach at Fordham University in 2004 and 2005, and served as both the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Widener University in 2003 and Ursinus College in 2001 and 2002. Prior to Ursinus, Melnitsky served as an offensive line coach at the University of Pennsylvania in 2000. He earned his bachelor’s degree in government from Hamilton College in 1997, where he was a four-year letterwinner at inside linebacker and captain as a senior, and added a master’s degree in American Studies from Trinity in 2009. Melnitsky is also an associate professor in the Trinity athletic department. He has two daughters, Charlotte and Julia, and resides in Avon.