Renowned offensive veteran Mark Orlando begins his fourth season as a member of the Prairie View A&M coaching staff. Orlando, who also coaches the quarterbacks, has been one of the most successful coordinators in college football with a Division I-AA Championship, four Black College National Championships, four SWAC Championships, four Heritage Bowl Titles and a MEAC Title under his belt.
After a record-breaking 2012 season, the Panthers exploded in the 2013 season as one of the top offensive units in the Football Championship Subdivision ranks. The Panthers ranked sixth nationally in total offense (517.2), ninth in scoring offense (39.0), ninth in completion percentage (66 percent), ninth in third down percentage (48 percent), 10th in passing offense (301.7) and 10th in first down offense (319). Prairie View A&M had several moments offensive moments last season which featured a 772-yard outing at Southern University, a 533-yard passing performance at Alabama State and a 463-yard rushing effort versus Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The Panthers had nine games of 450-plus yards of total offense and seven games of 500-plus yards.
A total of 28 offensive records fell last season with quarterback Jerry Lovelocke leading the way while running back Johnta’ Hebert led the SWAC in all-purpose yardage. Senior Deandre Cooper closed out his career in style as he became the all-time PVAMU single season record holder in receptions and yardage en route to All-SWAC and All-American honors. Cooper added to a long line of wide receivers who’ve played in Orlando’s offense to receive an NFL opportunity as he participated with the Detroit Lions’ rookie camp. On the ground, Courtney Brown and Johnta’ Hebert made history in 2013 as the duo combined to rush for nearly 2,000 yards and 15 touchdowns. Brown, who earned All-SWAC Honors, became the first player since 2008 to surpass the 1,000-yard mark while Hebert nearly joined him as he had a 907-yard season.
In 2012, the Panthers were an offensive juggernaut under Orlando as they led the SWAC with 414.7 yards per game while also finishing first in pass efficiency (140.3), second in pass offense (228.0) and third in rush offense (186.7). Offensive tackle Tre Glover was named to the 2012 All-SWAC Team as a result while several offensive performers posted career highs at their respective positions. As a unit, the Panthers rolled up plenty of yards with seven games over 400 yards of total offense, including three games over 500 yards and one with 600-plus yards. During the Shreveport Classic against Southern on Oct. 27, a season-high 645-yard offensive performance led to quarterback De’Auntre Smiley being named national Football Championship Subdivision Offensive Player of the Week. The 645 total offensive yards also marked the highest offensive output in 50-plus years and was within nine yards of the school record. In addition, the offense had a knack for coming through in key situations as they ranked first amongst SWAC teams in third down conversions.
In his first year at Prairie View A&M, Orlando had his work cut out for him as the Panther offensive unit returned only four starters from the previous season. Despite the lack of experience at the skill positions and overall youthfulness of the offensive unit, the Panthers finished third overall in the Southwestern Athletic Conference in total offense (350.2 yards per game) and scoring offense (25.3 ppg) while leading the league in rush offense with 174.3 yards per contest. The Panthers also eclipsed the 400-yard mark on offense on four occasions in 2011 with a season-best total of 550 offensive yards. Individually, the Panthers received career-best performances from several players with Nelson leading the way after amassing 659 receiving yards on 53 receptions followed by offensive lineman Tim Tusey earning a spot on the 2012 All-SWAC First Team.
A native of upstate New York, Orlando played quarterback at Florida State University and spent two seasons at Lincoln High School in Tallahassee, Fla. immediately upon graduation. Orlando moved on to the college ranks after his stint at Lincoln and made history as he helped coach Florida A&M University to the 1978 Division I-AA Championship under former head coach Rudy Hubbard. He remained at Florida A&M for five more seasons before accepting the role of running backs coach at Tennessee State University under head coach Bill Thomas in 1984.
While at Tennessee State, Orlando was apart of two teams that posted 10 or more wins highlighted by a NCAA Division I-AA Playoff Appearance in 1986. Orlando was elevated to the role of offensive coordinator in his final season at TSU before moving on to Winston-Salem State University on the staff of Pete Richardson in 1991.
Orlando remained at WSSU for two years and followed Richardson to the state of Louisiana in 1993 as he joined the staff of Southern University. Serving as the Jaguars’ offensive coordinator and quarterback coach, Orlando helped elevate the Jaguars to the national scene as they recorded a six-game turnaround with an 11-1 and 7-0 SWAC record en route to the school’s first SWAC Championship since 1975 following the 1993 season.
From 1993 to 2001, the Jaguars were the envy of Division I-AA, the SWAC and Black College Football as Orlando helped Southern compile four SWAC Championships and four HBCU National Championships. Offensively, the Jaguars ranked amongst the nations best as three of Southern’s offensive career record holders occurred under his watch in quarterback Bryant Lee, running back Steve Wofford and wide receiver Michael Hayes.
In December of 2001, Orlando rejoined Bill Thomas and moved to Texas as he accepted the role of offensive coordinator at Texas Southern University prior to the start of the 2002 campaign. In his inaugural season at TSU, the Tiger offense moved up from seventh to fourth place in the SWAC statistics in total offense while also increasing their scoring output from 19.1 to 28.5 points per outing.
After two years at TSU, Orlando rejoined Richardson at Southern University in 2004 and picked up where he left off as quarterback Bryant Lee flourished under Orlando’s watch. Lee concluded his career at Southern as the school’s all-time leader in passing yardage and touchdowns while wide receiver Juamorris Stewart burst on to the scene with a monster senior campaign that saw him top the 1,000-yard mark in receiving following the 2009 season.
Orlando returned to the state of Florida in 2010 and served as the offensive coordinator at Bethune-Cookman University. Once again, Orlando displayed his offensive knowledge as the Wildcats endured a five-game turnaround from 5-6 in 2009 to 10-2 in 2010 which featured a MEAC Championship and second round appearance in the NCAA FCS Playoffs. BCU nearly doubled its offensive output from the previous season as they ranked second nationally in scoring offense, fourth in pass efficiency and 12th in total offense.
Orlando and his wife Jenifer, have three children.
The Orlando File
Hometown: Westfield, NY
Wife: Jenifer
Children: Amelia Margaret, Chaz and Olivia
College: Florida State (1975)
High School: Cardinal Mindszenty
COACHING EXPERIENCE
2011-2014 Prairie View A&M University, offensive coordinator, quarterbacks
2010-2011 Bethune-Cookman University, offensive coordinator
2004-2009 Southern University, offensive coordinator, quarterbacks
2002-2003 Texas Southern, offensive coordinator
1993-2001 Southern University, offensive coordinator, quarterbacks
1991-1992 Winston-Salem State, offensive coordinator
1984-1990 Tennessee State, offensive coordinator, running backs
1978-1983 Florida A&M, assistant coach
1975-1977 Lincoln High School (Florida), assistant coach
