Mark Orlando

Mark V. Orlando was born March 20, 1953 in Westfield, NY. He graduated from Cardinal Mindszenty High School in Dunkirk, NY in 1971. He earned a B.S. degree from Florida State in 1975 and a M.S. degree from Florida A&M in 1983.

Orlando attended Westfield Academy Central Schools through his junior year of high school, then transferred to Cardinal Mindszenty for his senior year. He played football, basketball and baseball at Mindszenty, earning First Team All-Catholic All-Star recognition as a quarterback.

Mark received a full grant-in aid scholarship to Florida State University to play football. He was a quarterback for the Seminoles from 1971-1974, including being the starter during the ’73 season.

Following graduation, he was the quarterbacks and wide receivers coach at Lincoln High School in Tallahassee, FL for two years before securing his first college coaching assignment at Florida A&M from 1978-1983. Initially he was the running backs coach, then the quarterbacks and receivers coach and finally the passing game coordinator. FAMU won the NCAA Division 1-AA National Championship in ’78.

Orlando’s next job was at Tennessee State where he was the running backs coach, then the offensive coordinator. The Nashville, TN college was ranked No. 1 in Division 1-AA in ’84.

Following a three-year hiatus away from the game, Mark became the offensive coordinator, quarterbacks and receivers coach at Winston Salem State from ’91-’92.

Southern University in Baton Rouge, LA became his home from 1993-2002 as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Southern won four SWAC Conference titles and made six Heritage Bowl appearances while going 104-41 during Orlando’s tenure.

The next stop on the Orlando coaching journey was Texas Southern where he served as offensive coordinator for two years at the Houston, TX university.

In 2004, Mark returned to Southern University and remained for five years, first as running backs and tight ends coach and later as offensive coordinator.

Bethune-Cookman University won the MEAC Conference championship in 2010 during his two-year stint at the Daytona Beach, FL school as offensive coordinator.

From 2011-2014, Orlando coordinated the high-powered offense at Prairie View A&M who ranked at or near the top of the SWAC Conference in most offensive categories.

Next up was the Alabama State Hornets’ offensive coordinator position in Montgomery, AL from 2015-2018.

Orlando is currently the offensive coordinator at famed Grambling State University, a NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision school in Grambling, LA.