Duquesne University Men's Football

Schmitt's Dukes have won more overall games (42) and as many conference games (26) as any NEC school. In addition, DU - which has at least shared three of the past five NEC titles - is the only league school with four winning seasons in the past six years. Schmitt wasted no time putting his mark on the program by leading the Dukes to three consecutive Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Football League championships and earning MAAC Coach of the Year two times in his first three seasons as head coach. In 2011, Schmitt continued Duquesne's transition as a scholarship-granting associate member of the Northeast Conference by guiding the Dukes to a 9-2 record and NEC co-Championship with a 7-1 record. The 2011 co-title was part of a gradual progression for the Dukes who finished the 2010 season with a 7-4 record and third place league finish with a 5-3 mark. In 2013, Duquesne once again earned a share of the title - this time tying with Sacred Heart. The 2014 season saw the Dukes finish 6-6 overall. In 2015, Duquesne went 5-1 in conference play, earning its first outright NEC title and the leagues automatic bid to the FCS play-offs, Duquesnes first. Under Schmitt, the Dukes have fashioned a 26-16 record in NEC play over the past six seasons after posting a 4-11 mark in their first two years while integrating a scholarship model. In Schmitt's first season, the Dukes posted a 7-3 record (4-0 in the MAAC) - against the most challenging I-AA mid-major schedule a Duquesne team ever faced - and finished with a No. 3 national ranking in The Sports Network I-AA Mid-Major Top 10. The 2005 Dukes finished ranked No. 1 nationally in I-AA total defense, rushing defense and pass efficiency defense. In year two, Schmitt again led DU to a 7-3 record (3-1 in the MAAC) and eighth consecutive MAAC championship as the Dukes finished ranked sixth in The Sports Network I-AA Mid-Major Top 10. The 2006 Dukes ranked second nationally in passing offense and 15th in total offense. In 2007, Duquesne won a share of its ninth consecutive MAAC title in posting a 6-4 overall record. Five years ago the Dukes, in their first season as a scholarship program since the 1950s, went 3-7 in the school's inaugural season in the NEC and followed that with a 3-8 record in 2009. In 2010, with DU's first scholarship class comprising a good portion of the sophomore and junior classes, the Dukes broke through with their third place NEC finish. Winning titles at Duquesne is nothing new to Schmitt, who helped the Dukes to their first three MAAC championships in 1995, 1996 & 1999 and the school's first Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Bowl game in 1996, during his 11 years as an assistant. The Pittsburgh native, who served under three different head coaches in Terry Russell (1985-87), Dan McCann (1992) and Greg Gattuso (1993-99), was the offensive coordinator for his last seven seasons at DU, during which time the Dukes posted a 53-21 record, won three titles and saw 16 different offensive players named First Team All-MAAC. He was promoted to assistant head coach by Gattuso prior to the 1994 season. Schmitt accepted the head coaching position at Westminster in March of 2000. While at Westminster, Schmitt posted a 28-21 record in overseeing the Titans' transition from NCAA Division II to the Division III level. He led Westminster to an 8-2 mark including a 5-0 record against teams from the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) in 2000. After a rebuilding campaign in 2001, Westminster continued to make strides under Schmitt's leadership in 2002, as the Titans finished 6-4 overall (4-1 in league play) and placed second in their first season of eligibility for the PAC title. In 2003, Westminster overcame a challenging non-conference schedule against scholarship teams to contend for the conference title in the final week of the season. In 2004, the Titans rallied from an 0-2 start to post wins in five of their last eight games. Schmitt's offenses set five single-game records and produced four of the seven 1,000-yard rushers in school history. Forty-four of his players earned All-Conference honors in the three years his players were eligible for post-season recognition. Prior to his first stop at Duquesne, Schmitt established himself at the high school level in western Pennsylvania where he served as head coach at South Fayette High School (1990-91), offensive and defensive line coach at Bethel Park High School (1989), offensive and defensive line coach at Avonworth High School (1988) and offensive and defensive line coach and junior varsity head coach at West Allegheny High School (1983-84). In addition to his football coaching background, Schmitt served as head girls basketball coach at Beaver Area High School from 1987-99 and has also served as head track & field coach at West Allegheny High School (1984) and Weirton (W.Va.) Madonna High School (1983). Prior to returning to Westminster, Schmitt worked full time as a teacher in the Beaver Area school district from 1987-99. A 1983 Westminster graduate, Schmitt was a three-year letterman and two-year starter on the offensive line under head coach Joe Fusco, leading the Titans to an undefeated regular season as a senior in 1981. Schmitt, who graduated from Pittsburgh's Keystone Oaks High School in 1978 and his wife, Paula, who earned her master's degree at Duquesne, reside in Cranberry Township with their son Matthew Jake. SPONSORED BY:   

Richardson may be reached at Darnel Richardson, who was part of a 1993 Duquesne coaching staff that included current head coach Jerry Schmitt and defensive coordinator Dave Opfar, returned to coach the DU defensive backs prior to the 2010 season. In 2013 and 2014 he moved to the other side of the ball and coached the Dukes' receivers, but moved back to his original defensive back duties in 2015 where he will remain this season. In 2015, Richardson helped coach a pass defense that was second in the Northeast Conference in interceptions with 16 and third in the NEC in pass defense with 202.8 yards allowed per game. He also tutored defensive back Trenton Coles who was invited to rookie camp by the Kansas City Chiefs. In 2011, the Duquesne secondary led the nation in pass defense (139.3 ypg.) and ranked 6th in pass efficiency defense (100.5) while surrendering just nine touchdown passes and posting 10 interceptions. Richardson's unit also produced third team Associated Press All-America safety Serge Kona. Despite a flurry of injuries at the cornerback spot in 2012, Duquesne led the NEC and ranked 24th nationally in pass efficiency defense. In 2013, the DU receiving corps led the Northeast Conference with 223 receptions and 237 receiving yards per game and in 2014 the Red and Blue once again led the conference with 230 receptions and 251.2 receiving yards per game. Richardson came to Duquesne after serving as assistant head coach and defensive coordinator under Opfar at Saint Francis, Pa. for eight seasons. The McKeesport, Pa. native brings 19 years of college coaching experience to the Dukes sideline. Prior to his stint at Saint Francis, Richardson served as offensive coordinator at West Virginia State for five seasons where he coached six first team All-WVIAC offensive players. Richardson got his start in college coaching at DU in `93 when he mentored the running backs for first-year Dukes coach Greg Gattuso. He then moved on to Robert Morris where he served as wide receivers/tight ends and head JV coach under Joe Walton for two years. As a player, Richardson helped South Allegheny to the 1977 WPIAL title on the way to being named WPIAL Class AA Player of the Year. He then moved on to Marshall where he led the Herd in receptions as a junior and senior in 1980 & 1981. He fulfilled his graduation requirements from Marshall in May of 1996. Richardson has two children: Lindsey and Anthony.

Doria may be reached at Anthony Doria, a former record-setting quarterback at Saint Francis, Pa., is in his sixth season with the Duquesne coaching staff. A quarterbacks coach for the past five seasons, he was promoted to offensive coordinator for the 2016 campaign and will continue to handle quarterback coaching duties as well. Doria, who has been on the staff for Duquesne Northeast Conference championships in 2011, 2013 and 2015, helped guide the 2015 offense to lead the league in scoring offense, total offense and passing offense. It was the third straight year the Dukes led the NEC in passing offense. He has also been instrumental in the development of 2016 preseason All-NEC quarterback Dillon Buechel, who led the conference in passing yards in 2013 and 2015. The former NEC standout also mentored former DU quarterback Sean Patterson (2009-12) to back-to-back second team All-NEC seasons in 2011 and 2012. Doria, who accounted for a Northeast Conference record 8,544 passing yards at SFU from 2003-06, spent two seasons as a graduate assistant wide receivers coach at Akron under head coaches J.D. Brookhart and Rob Ianello before coming to Duquesne. A native of Pittsburgh, Doria was named to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Terrific 25 and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette South Fabulous 22 after leading Seton-La Salle High School to a 2002 WPIAL AA Championship and an appearance in the PIAA state championship game. The Pittsburgh Athletic Association AA Player of the Year continued on to Saint Francis where he completed over 55 percent of his passes in throwing for 61 touchdowns in 42 games. In 2005, Doria was named NEC Offensive Player of the Year. Doria completed his degree in accounting in 2007 before playing one season for the Arena Cup finalist Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers in 2007. He added a master's degree in sports administration while at Akron. Doria, his wife Kristen and their son Luca reside in McCandless Township.

Silianoff has been a secondary mathematics teacher at Baldwin since 1990. A 1978 graduate of Gateway High School, Silianoff began his coaching career at Norwin High School where he held a number of assistant coaching positions - including assistant head coach - from 1984-89. Silianoff, a 1987 inductee to the Titan Sports Hall of Fame, earned first team NAIA All-America honors in teaming with Schmitt on the offensive line to help Westminster to an undefeated regular season in 1981. He completed his undergraduate degree in mathematics in 1982 and was named to the All-Time Westminster Football Team in 1987. Silianoff and his wife Janice have a 15-year old son, Michael who is a sophomore offensive lineman at West Mifflin high school. SPONSORED BY: