Greg Gattuso Returns to Duquesne After 21 Years as Associate Defense Coach

Greg Gattuso is back on the Bluff as Duquesne’s associate head coach - defense, announced by head coach Jerry Schmitt in an official Duquesne athletics release timestamped 2/12/2026 6:00:00 PM. Multiple outlets confirm the hire as a return to the program 21 seasons after Gattuso left, and correct an earlier short report that misnamed him "Jerry Gattuso" and misstated the role as head coach.

Jerry Schmitt framed the hire as a restoration of institutional continuity in his public remarks. Schmitt said, "We are excited to welcome Coach Greg Gattuso back to the Duquesne Football family. Greg brings 36 years of experience at the FBS and FCS levels, including 23 years as a head coach, and that knowledge will have an immediate impact on our staff and student-athletes. As the first head coach of Duquesne’s FCS era, he helped establish the foundation and standard of excellence that still define our program today. His return strengthens our football family and reinforces the tradition and pride that make Duquesne Football special."

Gattuso also offered a personal note on the move, saying, "As I wind down my career, the opportunity to coach at my alma mater, Penn State, and to return to the place I love most, Duquesne University, is truly a dream come true. To be able to do that while working alongside a great friend like Jerry Schmitt makes it incredibly special." That phrasing underlines both his ties to Penn State and his stated intention that this is a late-career, passion-driven return to the Northeast Conference program.

The hire reunites Duquesne with the coach who led the program through its jump to Division I-AA. Multiple sources list Gattuso as Duquesne’s head coach from 1993 to 2004, a 12-season span during which he was identified as the first head coach of the program’s FCS era and helped guide the transition from Division III. One report from On3 and its NewsBreak republishing states, "In 10 seasons with the Dukes, Gattuso’s teams went 97-32 and 67-7 in conference play." That record line is reported verbatim by those outlets; it conflicts numerically with the 1993-2004, 12-season chronology provided by other outlets and the official Duquesne materials.

Gattuso’s résumé beyond Duquesne includes six seasons at the University of Pittsburgh where he coached the defensive line, produced three Big East Defensive Players of the Year, and held stints as tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator. He also spent three seasons at the University of Maryland as defensive line coach and was named assistant head coach in 2012, mentoring multiple all-conference performers and future NFL players. His connection to Duquesne predates his head-coach appointment: he was a part-time assistant in 1987, returned full time in 1992 as the program’s first full-time assistant, and was elevated to head coach following Dan McCann’s retirement after the 1992 season. On3’s reporting references an earlier successful head-coaching run at Seton LaSalle High School prior to his first Dukes tenure.

From an on-field and institutional perspective, the hire gives Duquesne a veteran defensive architect with 36 years at FBS and FCS levels and 23 years as a head coach, per Schmitt’s tally. That experience, plus Gattuso’s documented success coaching defensive linemen at Pitt and Maryland and his regional ties, could translate into immediate technical improvements on the defensive front and longer-term recruiting lift in NEC matchups. Schmitt remains Duquesne’s head coach; the official Duquesne athletics release titled "Duquesne Football Welcomes Back Greg Gattuso to Coaching Staff" formally lists Gattuso’s title as Associate Head Coach - Defense and anchors the program’s public account of the hire.