Don Yanowsky Re-Joins East Carolina Football Staff
March 01, 2006 | Football
March 1, 2006
GREENVILLE, N.C. - Don Yanowsky has been named tight ends and special teams coach at East Carolina University according to an announcement from head football coach Skip Holtz Wednesday.
Yanowsky replaces Greg McMahon, who accepted a position with the New Orleans Saints as assistant special teams coach Feb. 10, 2006.
His new assignment at East Carolina will mark his second stint with the Pirate program after an earlier tenure under head coach Steve Logan in 2001 and 2002.
Most recently, Yanowsky spent three seasons as a member of the Duke staff, the last two as the Blue Devils' offensive line coach. A veteran coach with over 20 years of experience, Yanowsky spent the 2003 season guiding Duke's outside linebackers while coordinating all special teams efforts.
He provided an immediate impact leading the special teams unit during his first season in Durham as the Blue Devils improved from a No. 113 national rank to a No. 21 standing in kickoff returns and went from a last-place Atlantic Coast Conference rating to third in kickoff coverage. In addition, kick returner Senterrio Landrum finished second in the ACC and seventh nationally in kickoff return average at 28.4 while punter Trey McDonald averaged a career-best 40.7 yards per boot and had 15 kicks downed inside the opponents' 20 yard line against zero touchbacks and blocked punts.
After Yanowsky joined the ECU staff in 2001 as defensive line coach, he helped the Pirates to a runner-up Conference USA finish with a 5-2 league mark and an appearance in the GMAC Bowl later in December. He also handled kickoff coverage and punt return coaching duties on special teams which resulted in a top conference rank and No. 34 national finish in its respective categories.
Prior to his two-year stint with the Pirates, Yanowsky spent four seasons coaching the special teams and outside linebackers while serving as recruiting coordinator at Arkansas State. In addition, he spent six seasons (1989-94) as the offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator at Memphis and one campaign (1996) coaching the defensive line and punt return team at Minnesota. The 1992, 1993 and 1994 Memphis teams posted 6-5 records while registering victories over Arkansas, Ole Miss and Mississippi State.
Yanowsky got his start in coaching as a student assistant coach at Toledo during the 1981 season. He then spent 1982-84 as the offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator at Utah before coaching in the prep ranks. He worked the 1985 and 1986 seasons as an assistant coach at Bountiful High School in Salt Lake City, Utah, before serving as the head coach at Viewmont High School, also in Salt Lake City, for the 1987 campaign.
A 1981 graduate of Toledo with a degree in education, Yanowsky was a two-year starter at offensive guard for the Rockets. Prior to his stint at Toledo, he was an all-conference pick while playing for Snow (Utah) Junior College.
A native of Chicago, Ill., Yanowsky is married to the former Janet Free and the couple has two sons, Donnie (10) and Jacob (8).
