Bio

Rich Erdelyi enters his 29th year on Carnegie Mellon’s staff and 28th as the Tartans’ offensive coordinator for the 2013 season. He came to Carnegie Mellon in 1985 as an assistant line coach and was promoted to offensive coordinator and running backs coach in 1986.

Powerful and prolific offenses during Erdelyi’s tenure have become synonymous with Carnegie Mellon football. In 1993, the Tartans set a school record for points in a season with 370 (37 points per game) and ranked 10th in NCAA Division III scoring offense. During the Tartans’ playoff run in 2006, the offense finished ranked eighth nationally in rushing offense (260.6) and set a school record with 3,127 yards rushing.

After coaching the running backs for 20 years, Erdelyi made the transition to quarterbacks coach in 2006. Last season, Erdelyi mentored quarterback Rob Kalkstein in setting three single-season school records - passing yards (2,148), completions (136) and completion percentage (.624). Kalkstein ended the 2012 campaign first in the UAA in pass efficiency (164.79) while ranking 10th in Division III on his way to being named UAA Offensive Player of the Year.

As running backs coach, Erdelyi has tutored several of the finest backs ever to play at Carnegie Mellon and in the UAA. In 1990, Erdelyi coached All-American halfback Scott Barnyak, who led all NCAA divisions in scoring with 13.8 points per game and was the UAA Offensive Player of the Year. Barnyak finished his career as the Tartans’ all-time leading rusher (2,618 yards) and scorer (308 points). In 1994, fullback Jason Grusky earned first-team All-UAA honors while finishing as the school’s second all-time leading rusher with 1,913 yards. His 11 touchdowns in UAA play set a league record. In 2003, fullback Brad Stanley broke Barnyak’s record for single-season touchdowns and ranked fifth in Division III with 21.

In 1999, fullback Mike Campie moved into first place on Carnegie Mellon’s all-time rushing list. Campie, a two-time All-UAA fullback, rushed for 1,569 yards and scored 15 touchdowns in two years. His 764 yards as a freshman set a new Carnegie Mellon mark. Campie also owns the freshman single-game rushing mark of 173 yards. In 2004, fullback Travis Sivek became Carnegie Mellon’s first freshman to rush for 100 or more yards in back-to-back games en route to earning UAA and ECAC Southwest Rookie of the Year accolades. Sivek, a two-time UAA Offensive Player of the Year honoree, broke the all-time rushing record after three years and ended his career with 4,183 yards. He finished the 2006 campaign with 1,326 yards, the highest single-season total in school history. During his four-year career, Sivek recorded 59 touchdowns to become the school’s all-time leader in scoring with 354 points and rank 18th on the NCAA Division III scoring list. Sivek’s teammate for four years, Robert Gimson, moved into third place on the school’s all-time rushing list after passing Barnyak in 2007. Gimson finished his career with 2,712 yards.

Prior to joining the Carnegie Mellon staff, Erdelyi was an administrative assistant and scout for the Pittsburgh Maulers of the United States Football League during the 1983 and 1984 seasons. Before working for the Maulers he was head coach at Pittsburgh’s Central Catholic High School from 1977-82. Under Erdelyi, the Vikings captured the West Penn Conference Championship in 1978 and advanced to the WPIAL Quad A Championship Playoffs in 1978 and 1981. During his tenure at Central, Erdelyi coached former Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino.

A native of Highland Park, N.J., Erdelyi earned seven varsity letters in football, basketball and baseball at Highland Park High School. An all-county and All-Central New Jersey selection as a senior center and linebacker, Erdelyi was a recipient of Highland Park’s Dr. Robert Weiss Memorial Trophy for devotion to athletics. He earned his bachelor’s degree in 1970 from the University of Pittsburgh.

A member of the AFCA, Erdelyi served a four-year term on the AFCA’s Assistant Coaches Committee. Erdelyi has three clinic videos on the Wing-T offense marketed by USA Coaches Clinics with royalties benefiting the Make-A-Wish Foundation. He is also the featured speaker of the Frank Glazier Football Clinic on the Wing-T offense and speaks at eight clinics annually around the country located in Denver, Kansas City, Baltimore, Boston, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Orlando and Newark.

In addition to his football duties, Erdelyi is Carnegie Mellon’s head golf coach as well as a physical education instructor. He was the 1998, 2006 and 2009 UAA Golf Coach of the Year.

Erdelyi and his wife, Judy, reside in Pittsburgh. He has three daughters: Jennifer, Hollie and Julie. All three are graduates of Carnegie Mellon.