Orszula in as Streamwood AD, out as football coach
The way new Streamwood athletic director Mark Orszula sees it, he's receiving the best on-the-job training available.
Named to the administrative post earlier this semester, he has been getting tips and pointers from retiring Streamwood athletic director Pat Ryan as the two attend conference meetings and events together to facilitate a smooth transition.
Orszula officially assumes Ryan's roles as AD and chair of Streamwood's PE/Health/Driver's Education department on July 1.
"Pat has been showing me the ropes," said Orszula, 35, an offensive lineman for Northern Illinois from 1999-2004. "It's been like an internship in a way. I'm still teaching, but I'm also spending a lot of time with him learning the ins and outs."
Accepting the administrative position meant Orszula had to vacate his position as Streamwood's head football coach. He led the Sabres for two years after taking over for Cal Cummins. His first team went 1-8 in 2013. The Sabres improved to 3-6 last fall.
Prior to Orszula's arrival at Streamwood he taught at Westmont High School and Culberson Elementary School in Joliet.
The antithesis of the dumb jock stereotype, he holds an undergraduate degree in sports management, a master's degree in sports management, and a master's in pedagogy and curriculum development in physical education, all from Northern Illinois. He earned an administrative certificate from Concordia University Chicago.
Orszula said he had every intention of continuing to build the football program until he learned of Ryan's pending retirement last fall. That announcement accelerated his move toward administration, a role he planned to pursue later in his career.
"I always wanted to be an AD, but I thought it would happen later in life," he said. "I was enjoying coaching football and I wasn't actively pursuing another job. But this is an opportunity I couldn't pass up. I made the move for myself and my family." Orszula and wife Maria have two children, son Markie and daughter Gina.
Streamwood's new athletic director believes the way to improve the school's success in athletics across the board is to foster deeper relationships with the middle school athletes who will one day populate the high school's athletic programs.
"I want to continue the good things Pat Ryan has done with our programs, and I want to create some stronger ties with our middle schools," he said. "If we want our Streamwood athletes to improve on the playing field, we have to start developing them earlier.
"I had been developing a strong relationship with our football youth leagues, and (boys basketball coach) Paul Kowalyszyn has done the same things by establishing Junior Sabres basketball. We have to do that with all the sports that have middle school programs and create stronger ties with our youth leagues in town for the sports that are not played at the middle school level."
The Streamwood football coaching vacancy has been posted. Orszula said he expects to begin interviewing candidates within the next few weeks.