Carnegie Mellon University’s Dario Donatelli Announces His Retirement

(PITTSBURGH, Pa.) - Carnegie Mellon University head cross country and track and field coach Dario Donatelli (TPR’81) has announced his retirement after 28 years at the university. Donatelli will complete the 2014 cross country season and retire prior to the start of indoor track and field season.

“It is hard for me to convey in words what it has meant to me these many years to be intimately involved with Carnegie Mellon University and the track and field and cross country programs,” said Donatelli.  “I have had the pleasure of being an athlete and alumnus, parent of two student alumni and an employee of the university.  However, I am most rewarded by the relationships I have had with many of these student-athletes over the years and the ones that continue today.  I know I will miss most the close interaction with intelligent and dedicated student-athletes that we have had and continue to have in our programs.”

Donatelli completed his 27th season as the head women's track and field coach and 15th at the helm of men’s track and field program in 2014.  This season marks his 22nd coaching the women’s cross country team and 13th for the men.  During his tenure, Carnegie Mellon has won seven conference titles (four in cross country, three in track and field). He and his staffs have earned conference Coach of the Year honors 12 times. He has coached 11 All-America athletes in cross country and 30 All-America athletes in track and field.

“Dario has been a member of our community since he came to campus as a student in 1977 and has made an impact on the lives of thousands of young men and women at Carnegie Mellon,” said Director of Athletics Josh Centor. “He is a teacher, educator and mentor and has established a tradition of academic and athletic excellence within our cross country and track and field programs.”
 
Under Donatelli’s leadership, the men’s cross country program has reached the NCAA Division III Championships eight times. In three additional years, individual Tartans competed on the national stage.  The women’s program has competed at the national meet as a team four times while placing fourth in the country during the 1998 season. In addition to their athletic honors, Donatelli's athletes are among the best students at Carnegie Mellon and the nation at large. The cross country team received Team All-Academic honors for the last 19 years, while the track and field teams have also garnered the accolade since 2006.

Donatelli is a 1981 graduate of Carnegie Mellon and his coaching success followed an outstanding collegiate athletic career. As a senior cross country runner at Carnegie Mellon, Donatelli earned All-America honors while leading the Tartans to the NCAA Mideast Regional title and a 12th-place team finish at the national meet. Donatelli was a three-time All-Mid East runner, four-time national qualifier and the Presidents' Athletic Conference Most Valuable Performer in 1980.