LINDEN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

By Mike Kinney | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Joe Zedalis | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Linden tabs well-traveled Mark Ciccotelli as new head football coach (updated) | NJ.com

Well-traveled Mark Ciccotelli has been associated with four teams to have won NJSIAA sectional titles and several others that came close.

The 60-year old also has deep roots in Union County and obviously in the game of football as a player, offensive coordinator and head coach.

Linden liked Ciccotelli’s credentials on both accounts, and thus named him as the program’s new head football coach. He was approved Thursday night at the Linden Board of Education meeting.

Ciccotelli replaces Al Chiola, who resigned three weeks ago after 10 seasons as head coach in order to spend the upcoming season following son Tyler’s season at Colonia. The wide receiver/DB will be a senior in the fall.

“I’m very excited to announce Mark as the new head coach at Linden. He has ties to Union County and to Linden,” athletic director Michael Firestone said.

“Having played against Linden and coached against them, it’s a program I’ve always respected,” Ciccotelli said. “They have kids who can play and play hard.

“During the interview process with the superintendent (Atiya Y. Perkins), the principal (Charles Koonce) and athletic director (Firestone) they were all passionate about student-athletes being successful,” Ciccotelli added.

This will be the seventh head-coaching stint for Ciccotelli, who had previous stops at Rahway, Freehold Borough, Neptune, St. John Vianney, North Plainfield and Scotch Plains-Fanwood, where older brother Steve had coached for 21 years before retiring in 2011. Older brother Mike was a renowned head coach for 36 years at Keyport before his retirement in 2013.

“Mark is known for building programs and we like that,” Firestone said. “It’s not like we’re starting from ground zero or anything like that, but I do fell like he can put us in a really good direction going forward.”

“My goal is to put the players in the best position to have success,” Ciccotelli said. “We have to nurture the talent. We need to get in the weight room and get to work.”

In his prior stops, Ciccotelli’s teams have been known for offensive prowess.

“We need to see what they players can do, but I believe our scheme can be adapted to fit any skillset.”

Linden fans my like Ciccotelli’s championship pedigree as it attempts to win its first sectional title since defeating Elizabeth, 27-21, in 2014 for the North 2, Group 5 title under Deon Candia.

Chiola was an assistant for that squad and took the head coaching reins the following season. He was 44-47-1 in 10 years, including 4-6 in 2024. The Tigers were 6-3-1 in 2023.

As head coach, Ciccotelli led Freehold Borough to the Central Jersey, Group 3 title in both 2008 and ‘10, then guided Neptune to that same championship in 2011 in his first of three seasons with the Scarlet Fliers.

He will enter the 2025 season with an 86-77 career record in 16 seasons as a head coach.

As a highly regarded offensive coordinator, Ciccotelli served on the staff of the undefeated Middletown South team that won Central, Group 3 in 2001, and the undefeated Cranford team in 2015 that won North 2, Group 3.

Ciccotelli returned to Cranford last season to serve as OC under longtime friend and Johnson teammate Erik Rosenmeier and helped the Cougars finish 7-3 following a 4-5 campaign in 2023.

Ciccotelli was OC at his high school alma mater in 2023, helping Johnson finish 6-3, and was at St. Joseph (Met.) in the same position prior to that. He was offensive coordinator at Mater Dei in 2019, one year after stepping down at Scotch Plains-Fanwood after two seasons with a combined mark of 2-17.

Ciccotelli said he hopes to meet with team members next week.

“I’m excited to get back into it,” Ciccotelli said.