Anthony Cicione II begins his second year as defensive coordinator for Otterbein in 2024 after coming aboard in the winter of 2023, following the hiring of Tommy Zagorski as head coach early in the calendar year.
During his first season, the defensive unit ranked fourth in the Ohio Athletic Conference in both passing yards allowed per game (199.7) and interceptions (13). His unit also delivered a top-half finish in total sacks.
Safety Randy Cochran Jr. and edge rusher Justin Bartlett earned All-OAC honors in 2023, with Bartlett going on to also land D3football.com All-Region honors. In addition, nine players made the Academic All-OAC list for efforts in the classroom.
Cicione (pronounced Chuh-cho-nee) came to Otterbein after spending the last two seasons at Slippery Rock University, serving as defensive pass game coordinator and secondary coach. During his time on staff, “The Rock” went a combined 19-6 and made the NCAA Division II Playoffs both times. The team finished the 2022 campaign ranked No. 16 in the national poll.
When Cicione first arrived to Slippery Rock, the team had allowed opponents to throw for an average of 228 yards per game the previous season. In his first campaign, the defense ranked sixth nationally and set a new single-season record in fewest passing yards allowed (143/gm).
Cicione is no stranger to the Ohio Athletic Conference, having played two years at Capital University before finishing his career up north at John Carroll. The standout defensive back was named All-OAC for Capital after leading the league in interceptions.
He then became part of a decorated two-year stretch at JCU in the 2015 and 2016 seasons. The Blue Streaks posted a combined 21-2 record in the span, winning the 2016 OAC championship before a memorable run to the NCAA semifinals. John Carroll defeated a pair of No. 1-ranked teams that season in Mount Union (31-28) and Wisconsin-Whitewater (31-14).
“The game of football, and balancing that with being a student at the college level, has taught me a lot regarding time management and working through adversity,” Cicione added. “Getting into this profession has allowed me to start passing down those life lessons to other kids. I hope to bring a lot of that to Otterbein, while learning new things from this next generation as well.”
He and his girlfriend (Aponi) have a young daughter, Nabi Dawn Simone.
