Mark Carr enters his 22nd season as head coach of the Hartwick football program in the Fall of 2023.
Prior to his appointment, he spent nine years (1993-2001) as the offensive coordinator and four years (1998-2001) as the assistant head coach at Hartwick under Steve Stetson before taking over the controls of the program. He will continue to double as the offensive coordinator.
In the 2016 season, Carr's Hawks ranked in the top 10 in NCAA Division III in passing offense. The team led the Empire 8 Conference in total offense and passing yards. Carr would coach wide receiver Koree Reed, who garnered All-America honors from both the Associated Press and AFCA.
In 2015, Carr became the all-time winningest coach in Hartwick football history after a 41-30 victory over Buffalo State on October 31. Carr would guide the Hawks to a 4-6 record overall with a pair of wins in the Empire 8 Conference. The 'Wick passing offense would finish the season ranked fifth in Division III football with an average of 359.1 yards per outing.
In 2013, the Hawks finished the season with a final record of 6-4 and a 3-4 mark in the Empire 8 Conference. It was the Hawks' highest win total in the league since 2008. The win total included a 21-9 victory over Ithaca, which marked the first victory over the Bombers since 2007.
Under Carr's leadership in 2008, quarterback Jason Boltus and wide receiver Jack Phelan became two of the most decorated players in the history of the program. Boltus was the Empire 8 and d3football.com East Region Offensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season and a Gagliardi Trophy Regional Finalist for the second straight time. He was also selected as an Associated Press Little All-American and was tabbed the ECAC Division III Player of the Year and the Northwest Player of the Year. He set an NCAA career record for yardage in Division III accumulating 14,231 yards in four seasons with the Hawks. He was the first Hartwick player to be invited to the NFL Player Combine in Indianapolis and played five seasons in the Canadian Football League with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Phelan was named an American Football Coaches' Association (AFCA) All-American, an Associated Press Little All-American, and a d3football.com First Team All-American. His 26 touchdown catches equaled a 10-year old NCAA Division III record and he led the nation in both receiving yards and receiving yards per game for the second straight year.
In 2007, Carr guided Hartwick to foreign territory as far as football goes. Under his direction, the Hawks posted an 8-3 record, upset nationally-ranked St. John Fisher and Ithaca en route to gaining its first Empire 8 Conference title (shared), and advanced to the NCAA Division III playoffs for the first time. Boltus led the nation in total offense and passing yards per game en route to garnering E8 Offensive Player of the Year, East Region Offensive Player of the Year by D3football.com, was a national finalist for the Gagliardi Trophy, and became the second player in the program's history to be named the Melberger Award recipient. Phelan led the nation in receiving yards per game en route to being named a first team all-E8 honoree, was a first team all-East Region selection by D3football.com, as well as a first team All-American by D3football.com. Phelan caught 23 touchdown passes on the year, which tied for the third most in the history of Division III.
Carr's offenses have not only been ranked high in the Empire 8, but also nationally as well. Nine seasons ago, the Hawks ranked 1st in passing offense (397.3 ypg) and second in total offense (544.2 ypg) in Division III football. Ten years ago, 'Wick ranked in the top 10 in both categories logging 364.4 yards per game in passing (3rd nationally) and 494.3 in total offense (7th). In the 2006 season, the Hawks were ranked 26th nationally in passing offense (248.0 ypg), 28th in total offense (388.6 ypg), and tied for 62nd in scoring (25.7 ppg). In 2005, Hartwick was ninth in passing offense (318.1 ypg), 10th in total offense (489.3 ypg) and tied for 20th in scoring offense (37.5 ppg).
In his first season at the helm, Carr led the Hawks to an 8-2 record (3-1 Empire 8 Conference) en route to the school's first postseason victory in history by defeating Curry College (Mass.) 69-14 in the 2002 ECAC North Atlantic Championship Game.
Since Carr began his tenure at Hartwick, he has developed multiple All-Americans, two ECAC Northwest Players of the Year as well as the 2002 and 2007 Melberger Award Winners, Dan Pincelli ('02) and Jason Boltus ('07). The Melberger Award is given to the Most Outstanding Player in NCAA Division III football.
Two of those All-Americans (Crea, Willis) were a product of the 2005 offense that once again excelled for the Hawks. Crea led the nation in all-purpose yards, amassing 2,279 yards (1,115 rushing, 581 receiving, 583 KO return), while wide receiver Willis earned the number one ranking in scoring (22 TDs, 13.2 ppg.) and finished eighth best in receiving yards per game (121.5) and 35th in receptions per game (6.5). Crea duplicated the feat in 2006 by winning his second consecutive Division III all-purpose yardage title by averaging over 215 yards per game (1,087 yards rushing, 716 yards receiving, and 312 yards in kickoff returns). He was once again tabbed a first team All-American by Don Hansen's Football Gazette.
Carr had continued success with the offense at Hartwick, having produced the second-highest single-game rushing total in NCAA history (A.J. Pittorino, 436 yards rushing on 46 carries in 1996 against Waynesburg, PA). He was also very influential in the career of former All-American wide receiver Kirk Aikens (Hartwick '99), who still holds the NCAA Division III records for highest percentage of passes caught for touchdowns in a season (36 catches, 20 touchdowns - 55.6% in 1998) and in a career (127 catches, 43 touchdowns - 33.9% from 1995-1998).
Carr, a native of Vestal, New York was a 1990 graduate of the University of New Hampshire. Carr set numerous passing records as the starting quarterback for the Wildcats. After his senior season, Carr was invited to attend the National Football League Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana. He returned to the University of New Hampshire and helped the team win the 1991 Yankee Conference Championship as the quarterbacks coach.
Carr and his wife Tiffany reside in Oneonta along with their two children, Brady and Kylie.
