Former Slippery Rock University football team captain Mike Grata enters his third season as an assistant on head coach Shawn Lutz’s staff in 2018.
After assisting with the defensive line in 2016, Grata served as the assistant linebackers coach last season and will do so again in 2018.
Along with linebackers coach Marc Hull, Grata helped guide The Rock’s youngest position unit last year as 11 of the 13 linebackers on the 2017 roster were underclassmen including seven true freshmen. Despite the inexperience, Grata assisted in mentoring redshirt freshman Dylan Whiteman and true freshman Trysten McDonald to great rookie seasons. Whiteman ranked third on the team with 75 tackles to go with 8.0 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, one interception and one forced fumble. McDonald was second on the team in TFL with 10.5 to go with 61 tackles and two interceptions.
In his first season as a collegiate coach, Grata assisted on a defense that ranked sixth in the nation in rushing yards allowed per game as well as fifth in the PSAC in sacks and seventh in points allowed.
The Rock’s defensive line featured PSAC West Defensive Player of the Year, and All-American, Marcus Martin, as well as fellow all-conference honoree Joe Phillips.
As a player at The Rock, Grata started 20 games as a linebacker for SRU over his four-year career, including 13 games in 2015 when SRU claimed the PSAC title and reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA playoffs.
His most productive year was his senior season in 2015 when he recorded 62 total tackles, including 11.5 tackles for loss. Grata also recorded seven pass breakups, forced three fumbles and recovered two fumbles during his senior year.
Grata was one of the outside linebackers in SRU's 4-3 defense that finished the 2015 season with the second best rushing unit in the country, allowing just 71.7 rushing yards per game.
Over the course of his four-year SRU career, Grata tallied 110 total tackles, 17.0 tackles for loss, 14 pass breakups, four forced fumbles and one interception.
While beginning his coaching career, Grata is also pursuing a graduate degree at Slippery Rock.
