A former player and coordinator within the PSAC, Tony Papley enters his first season as the defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator at California (PA) in 2025.
Papley served as the defensive coordinator at Edinboro the previous five years after starting his coaching career at the NCAA FCS level with Duquesne. He served six seasons on the coaching staff with the Dukes after playing at Slippery Rock from 2009-13.
At Edinboro, Papley utilized multiple defensive schemes and mentored a combined eight All-PSAC West selections. Linebacker Wilfredo Diaz, a native of Miami, received All-America recognition from multiple organizations in 2024 after leading NCAA Division II with both 13.6 tackles per game and 150 total tackles – the most by a PSAC player in over two decades.
Diaz was the third linebacker for the Fighting Scots in as many years to reach the century mark. In 2022, Ohio native Clay Cunningham ranked fourth in the country with 11.4 tackles per game and finished with 125 total stops. The following year, CJ Waldier – a WPIAL product from Yough – registered 100 total tackles and was an All-PSAC West First-Team honoree.
Edinboro ranked among the top five in the PSAC in turnovers and passing defense in 2022 while featuring a pair of All-PSAC West honorees. The Fighting Scots finished second in the league with 21 turnovers behind 13 interceptions from eight different players. Defensive back Allen Stritzinger, a transfer from Syracuse, led the team with four interceptions and added 53 tackles while being tabbed to the All-PSAC West Second-Team.
The Fighting Scots closed the 2021 campaign with three-consecutive victories, including a victory at IUP to snap a six-game losing streak in the series. Edinboro boasted a trio of All-PSAC West selections with defensive back Deandre Dowdell, a native of Syracuse, New York, receiving first-team status after recording 64 tackles with a pair of blocked kicks. Papley oversaw the field-goal block unit at Edinboro with the program leading the country with 12 blocked kicks.
Last year, Edinboro achieved the distinction of upsetting an FCS program in Week 2. The Fighting Scots earned a 23-21 win at Robert Morris after breaking a fourth-quarter tie with a defensive safety. Edinboro also captured its first home victory over IUP in two decades later in the fall.
Papley started his coaching career as the defensive line coach at Duquesne in 2014 and later added roles of director of football operations and special teams coordinator. He helped the Dukes record six-consecutive winning seasons with three Northeast Conference (NEC) Championships and a pair of appearances in the NCAA FCS Playoffs. Papley served two years on the coaching staff with current California head coach Gary Dunn, who was the offensive coordinator.
With the Dukes, Papley worked with nine All-NEC selections with Zach Zidian (2014-15) and Kam Carter (2018-19) earning first-team laurels in back-to-back years. Duquesne won its first-ever game in the FCS Playoffs over nationally-ranked Towson in 2019 and posted its winningest season in nearly a decade.
A native of Slippery Rock, Papley appeared in 38 games for The Rock while playing for George Mihalik. He finished his career with 140 tackles (51 solo), 22.5 TFL and 8.0 sacks after transitioning to defense as a redshirt sophomore. Papley earned All-PSAC West First-Team honors as a senior in 2013 after helping Slippery Rock appear in the PSAC Championship for the second time in three years.
Papley earned his bachelor's degree in resource management from Slippery Rock in 2013. He later completed a master's degree from Duquesne in sports leadership.
He and his wife Mara reside in Edinboro, Pennsylvania, with their three children, Talena, Leola and Martello.
