Bio

The 2019 season will mark Terry Bodnar’s 36th year on the Carnegie Mellon staff and his 34th as defensive coordinator. He joined Carnegie Mellon as a graduate assistant in 1984, and one year later was appointed assistant outside linebackers coach. He was promoted to defensive coordinator in the spring of 1986.

Under Bodnar, the Tartans placed seven defensive players on the Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) team last season while having 10 named to the University Athletic Association (UAA) squad. The defense saw two named Academic All-American and Anthony Kennon earning All-ECAC accolades.
 
During the Tartans’ playoff run in 2006, the defense was ranked sixth nationally in scoring defense and eighth in interceptions.
 
Carnegie Mellon has built a tradition of strong linebacker units under Bodnar’s tutelage. Robert O’Toole, a stalwart on the 1990 NCAA playoff team, was named Academic All-American Player of the Year. Bodnar also molded one of the best linebackers in Carnegie Mellon history in Chad Wilson, who in 1993 was a first-team All-American and UAA Defensive Player of the Year. Ray Ardire was the 1995 UAA Defensive Player of the Year and a two-time first-team All-UAA selection.
 
In 2000, Nick Zitelli was named an American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) All-American and received the MVP award in the AFCA Aztec Bowl in Merida, Mexico.
 
Aaron Lewis, in 2005 and 2006, was named second team All-American by D3football.com and third team by Don Hansen’s Football Gazette. In January of 2011, Lewis was named to the D3football.com All-Decade Team and was the lone UAA player to land a spot on the team. Lewis was also named an Academic All-American both years and played in the Aztec Bowl in 2006. Brian Khoury claimed back-to-back UAA Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2015 and 2016 while Drew Fitzmorris garnered the accolade in 2017. Both landed a spot on the D3football.com All-American squad in 2015 with Fitzmorris repeating on the team in 2017.
 
Bodnar earned his bachelor’s degree in education in 1976 from Marietta College, where he lettered as a linebacker and center. He earned his master’s degree in sports science in 1988 from Indiana University (Pa.).
 
Following his graduation from Marietta, Bodnar began his teaching and coaching career at Washington Junior High School in Parkersburg, W.Va., where he taught and coached football, wrestling and track. In 1978, he returned to Deer Lakes to teach math, science and computer science and to coach football, wrestling and track. He also served as Deer Lakes’ strength coach before leaving for Carnegie Mellon in 1984.
 
Bodnar has been a member of the AFCA since 1982. He served five years as a member of the AFCA Coach of the Year Committee.
 
Bodnar also has spoken at football coaching clinics throughout the country for the Clinics of Champions, Eastbay Football Clinics, Glazier Football Clinics and various county and state clinics. He is featured in four clinic videos marketed by USA Coaches Clinics with royalties benefiting the Make-A-Wish Foundation. In 2000, he created three videos on defensive strategy for Coaches Choice. In addition, Bodnar has written articles that have been published in the AFCA Summer Manual, the Athletic Journal and Football Clinic.
 
He and his wife, Joan, live in West Deer Township and have a son Jonathan who played for Carnegie Mellon from 2004-07.