Mark Duffner (born July 19, 1953) is an American football coach who is the senior defensive assistant for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). Duffner served as the head coach of the Maryland Terrapins football team from 1992 to 1996.

Mark Duffner
Cincinnati Bengals
Position:Senior defensive assistant
Personal information
Born: (1953-07-19) July 19, 1953 (age 71)
Annandale, Virginia, U.S.
Career information
College:William & Mary
Career history
As a coach:
Head coaching record
Career:NCAA: 80–40–1 (.665)
Record at Pro Football Reference

Duffner was born and raised in the Washington, D.C. suburb of Annandale, Virginia; he played tackle for legendary coach Bob Hardage at powerhouse Annandale High School and played collegiately at the College of William and Mary, recruited to the school by assistant coach Bobby Ross. His first coaching job was as a Graduate Assistant under iconic coach Woody Hayes at Ohio State University followed by a stint as Defensive Coordinator for the University of Cincinnati Bearcats; he moved to Holy Cross in the same role in 1981 and ascended to the Head Coach position in 1986, compiling a stellar 60–5–1 record.[1] At Maryland, Duffner compiled a 20–35 record, his most important legacy at Maryland has been in the record books; most of the Terps' longstanding single game, season, and career passing and receiving record were broken during his tenure. This was due to the implementation of his run and shoot offense and quarterbacks John Kaleo, Scott Milanovich, and Brian Cummings. However, his teams were notoriously weak on defense, frequently giving up points so fast that even his prolific offense couldn't keep up. Duffner's only winning season came in 1995 when the Terps finished with a 6–5 record and started with four consecutive wins.

After leaving Maryland, Duffner became an assistant with the Cincinnati Bengals from 1997 to 2002, where he served as linebackers coach and then defensive coordinator. From 2003 to 2005, he served with the Green Bay Packers. In early 2006, he was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars as the linebackers coach. He was hired by the Miami Dolphins in January to be their LB Coach for the 2014 season. On October 15, 2018, Duffner was named as the new defensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.[2]

Duffner was hired by the Bengals as a senior defensive assistant on March 7, 2019.[3] He missed the team's week 10 game in 2020 against the Pittsburgh Steelers due to COVID-19 pandemic protocols.[4]

The surname Duffner originates from the German habitational name for someone from Teufen in Württemberg or from Tüffen near Saint Gallen, in Switzerland.[5]

Head coaching record

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Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs NCAA#
Holy Cross Crusaders (Patriot League) (1986–1991)
1986 Holy Cross 10–1 4–0 1st 5
1987 Holy Cross 11–0 4–0 1st 1
1988 Holy Cross 9–2 3–1 2nd 19
1989 Holy Cross 10–1 4–0 1st T–4
1990 Holy Cross 9–1–1 5–0 1st 8
1991 Holy Cross 11–0 5–0 1st 3
Holy Cross: 60–5–1 25–1
Maryland Terrapins (Atlantic Coast Conference) (1992–1996)
1992 Maryland 3–8 2–6 8th
1993 Maryland 2–9 2–6 T–7th
1994 Maryland 4–7 2–6 7th
1995 Maryland 6–5 4–4 T–5th
1996 Maryland 5–6 3–5 T–6th
Maryland: 20–35 13–27
Total: 80–40–1
      National championship         Conference title         Conference division title or championship game berth

References

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  1. ^ "DUFFNER, TRYING FOR EVERYTHING". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  2. ^ "Mark Duffner Replaces Mike Smith as Buccaneers' Defensive Coordinator". buccaneers.com. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
  3. ^ Dehner, Paul Jr. (March 7, 2019). "Cincinnati Bengals add veteran Mark Duffner to club's largest staff ever". Cincinnati.com. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
  4. ^ Hobson, Geoff (November 15, 2020). "Three Bengals Defensive Coaches Ruled Out For Covid-Related Issues". Bengals.com. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
  5. ^ Dictionary of American Family Names (2 ed.). Oxford University Press. 2022.
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