Mark Butler enters his 11th season as a member of the Denison University football coaching staff in 2025, once again assisting with the offensive line. Butler came to Denison in 2015 with over 30 years of coaching experience at the high school level. The Big Red have had a winning season and have finished in the top-four of the North Coast Athletic Conference in each of Coach Butler's years in Granville, Ohio. In his first five seasons from 2015 to 2019, Denison had five straight seasons with at least seven victories, and went 38-13 overall with two NCAC Championships and one NCAA Division III playoff appearance in 2018.
In the 2024 season, Denison went 6-4 overall and 6-2 in conference play to finish third in the NCAC standings, their third-consecutive top three finish. Butler coached two Big Red offensive lineman to all-conference honors, as center Canyon Schneider and left tackle Brady Moffitt were named Third Team All-NCAC. At the end of the season, the Big Red ranked fourth in the NCAC in points per game (31.2) and total offense (374.5). They had the second-highest rusher in Trey Fabrocini (209 carries, 979 yards, nine touchdowns), three receivers ranked in the top 10 in the NCAC in receiving yards (Tommy Asleson, 729 yards; Billy Guzzo, 528 yards; Aidan Brownlee, 501 yards), and NCAC Newcomer of the Year Tyler Green was second in passing yards (2,228) and touchdowns (22).
In 2023, the Big Red won their final four games to finish the season 7-3 overall and tie for second place in the NCAC standings (6-2) for the second year in a row. For the third season in a row, Kevin Stone (fifth-year offensive lineman) was named First-Team All-NCAC and was also Second-Team All-Region 4 by D3football.com. By the end of the season, the Denison offense ranked within the top-50 nationally, was the No. 1-rated redzone offensive in the NCAC (18th nationally), boasted the top rusher in the NCAC (Trey Fabrocini; 1,402 yards; 5th nationally), and had the top player in receiving touchdowns in the conference (Josh Aiello; 15 touchdowns; 7th nationally).
Denison finished its 2022 season 8-2 overall and 6-2 in the NCAC, which was good for a tie for second place, while senior left tackle Kevin Stone was named first-team all-conference and second-team all-region for the second year in a row.
In 2021, Denison finished 6-4 overall and 6-3 in the conference, which was tied for fourth place, while Butler helped coach offensive linemen Trey Dawkins (senior) and Kevin Stone (junior) to First-Team All-NCAC and D3football.com Second-Team All-Region honors.
In 2019, the Big Red finished with an overall record of 8-2, marking the program's third, eight-win season since 2016. The Big Red also captured a share of the conference championship for the second year in a row.
The 2018 season was a breakthrough campaign for the Big Red. After finishing the regular season with an 8-2 record, Denison captured a share of its first NCAC championship since 1986. Denison earned the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship, marking the program's first playoff appearance in 33 years.
A 1979 graduate of Newark High School, Butler played one year of college football at The University of Toledo in 1980. Â From 1980 through 2013 Butler served as an assistant football coach at all levels of the Newark football program, including 11 seasons as a varsity assistant. In 2007, he was the Wildcats defensive coordinator.
Butler lives in Newark with his wife, Shelly and their two daughters, Katy and Brittany. He was an employee of the Newark Water Department for over 30 years, retiring in 2018.
