Former Marietta coach named head coach at N.C. Wesleyan
| Jeff Filkovski posted a 10-40
record in five years as Marietta's head coach. Marietta athletics photo |
After an extensive search, the North Carolina Wesleyan athletic department is pleased to announce the hiring of Jeff Filkovski as the next head coach for the Battling Bishop football program. Filkovski replaces Mark Henninger, who recently accepted the same position at Marian (Ind.).
A native of Pittsburgh, Pa., Filkovski joins N.C. Wesleyan after a five-year stint at Marietta and becomes the third head coach in program history.
Filkovski stepped down at Marietta last November after the Pioneers went 0-10.
"We are very excited about Coach Filkovski and the new direction of our football program," stated Vice President and Director of Athletics John Thompson. "He comes to us with a wide range of experience, a tremendous reputation in the coaching ranks, and he emerged in our search as the right man at the right time for North Carolina Wesleyan."
Filkovski commented, "I want to thank President Gray and Coach Thompson for the opportunity to lead the North Carolina Wesleyan football program. My first priority is to hit the ground running with recruiting and put together a quality class for next season."
Filkovski takes the reins of a relatively young Wesleyan program that will be entering its tenth season in the fall of 2013. Despite its brief history, the Battling Bishops have enjoyed much success in their first nine seasons, including a trio of conference championships and two NCAA berths. Filkovski looks to build on Wesleyan's previous success and return NCWC to the top tier of the USA South.
"It is exciting to take over a program that has had success at the national level," Filkovski said. "I want to continue the push to be a perennial contender in the USA South Conference."
Filkovski's coaching career at Marietta featured several highlights, including an upset of No. 7 Otterbein in 2009 and fielding one of the top-ranked passing attacks in the Ohio Athletic Conference in 2011. His Marietta tenure saw Filkovski guide 18 Pioneers to All-Conference honors in the OAC, which boasts 11-time national champion Mount Union among its members.
Filkovski posted a record of 10-40 in five years at the helm of the Marietta program.
Prior to Marietta, Filkovski served as offensive coordinator at Heidelberg, leading the Princes' offense to a top-5 OAC ranking in nine different statistical categories. As a result, Filkovski was named the league's co-Assistant Coach of the Year in 2007.
Having coached at both the collegiate and professional levels, Filkovski was the offensive coordinator for the Cologne Centurions of NFL Europe before joining Heidelberg. There, he led the Centurions to the 2nd-ranked offense in the league and a 6-4 overall record.
Filkovski began his coaching career as quarterbacks coach/recruiting coordinator at the College of Holy Cross from 1992 to 1995. He also spent one season as the quarterbacks coach at Thomas More College and four years in the same role at the University of Cincinnati. During his time at Cincinnati, the Bearcat squad earned the 2002 Conference USA title. He started at Cincinnati as a graduate assistant in 1996 and was elevated to tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator in 1998.
Filkovski enjoyed a stellar collegiate career at Allegheny, where he earned a B.A. degree in psychology. In 1990, he led Allegheny to a 13-0-1 record and the NCAA Division III national championship as the Gators' starting quarterback. For his efforts, he was tabbed the Football Gazette Division III Offensive Player of the Year, as well as an Associated Press Little All-American.
Filkovski and his wife, Stacy, have three children: daughters Avrey and Ariel and son Jack.
