Bio

RECRUITING AREAS: Massachusetts, Connecticut

John Sielawa completed his tenth season with the Bulldogs in 2023-24 and serves as the tight ends coach and special teams coordinator.

Sielawa helped the special teams and the tight end room this season. Konor Lathrop as a tight end and Anthony Frederick as a returner both made the Big South-OVC All-Conference second team. Lathrop had career-highs in TDs (6), yds (134), and receptions with 17. The TE room accounted for nine receiving TDs this season, which was 32% of the passing TDs thrown. The Bulldogs special teams unit posted five blocked kicks, which ranked fifth in the country. 

Sielawa has a proven track record with special teams and tight ends and that shined in 2022. Under Sielawa's tutelage, Anthony Frederick and Ethan Gettman were both named All-Americans, the first time Bryant has had two specialists receive the honor in the same season. Frederick led the country in return yardage on his way to Big South Special Teams Player of the Year honors and Third Team All-America honors from STATS FCS. Gettman became the first kicker to earn All-America honors after leading the country in field goal percentage, making a single-season record 14 field goals on 15 attempts. Gettman was also named the Fred Mitchell Most Outstanding Kicker Award, a first in program history. As far as tight ends, Jihad Edmond put together a career year on his way to All-Big South honors. Edmond posted five touchdown receptions on the season.

Bryant's tight ends and special teams units shined in the fall of 2021, helping the Bulldogs go 7-4 overall and 5-2 in the NEC. Under Sielawa's tutelage, Luke Samperi became the first kicker in program history to earn multiple All-NEC honors as he picked up second team accolades. Samperi would finish his career with a DI program record 163 points and one of only two kickers in program history with 20+ field goals. Sielawa also oversaw one of the most versatile tight end groups in the NEC. Led by Jihad Edmond's 27 catches, 213 receiving yards and one touchdown, Bryant's tight ends combined for 35 catches, 265 yards and three TDs. Edmond, Samperi and long snapper David McCain were named to the Phil Steele All-NEC team. 

Sielawa continued to develop all-league talents on the special teams unit in the spring of 2021 as Andre Brackett earned First Team All-NEC honors as a returner. Sielawa also oversaw a great deal of growth in the tight end position as Jihad Edmond finished second on the team with nine catches for an average of 18.3 yards per catch. 

In 2019, Sielawa developed one of the best special teams units in the Northeast Conference. Luke Samperi (kicker) and Gavin Rowley (punter) both earned All-NEC honors, marking the first time in program history the Black and Gold have placed multiple kickers on the postseason teams. Samperi tied the single-season program record with 11 field goals, while Rowley set Bryant single-season records for punts (74) and yards (3,110). Rowley led all NEC punters with a 42.0 average. Siealawa's tight end tandem of Hayden Panagos and Jihad Edmond combined to catch 17 passes for 170 yards and a touchdown.

Sielawa spent five seasons (2013-2017) on the Bryant sidelines, serving as the tight ends coach for four seasons before coaching linebackers in his fifth season. Under his watch, John Lavin emerged as one of the top tight ends in the Northeast Conference, earning All-NEC First Team honors in 2015. Following that season, Lavin was invited to the Kansas City Chiefs' mini-camp. In addition, Sielawa coached specific positions on special teams and coordinated the special teams ready area on gameday. In that time period, the Bulldogs featured three All-NEC kick returners and one All-NEC kicker. Sielawa's lone season with the linebackers coincided with Thomas Costigan earning NEC Defensive Player of the Year honors and AP All-American honors. 

Sielawa returns to Smithfield after spending the 2018 season as the special teams coordinator and safeties/outside linebackers coach at Assumption College. He coached four All-Northeast-10 selections, including the NCAA's all-time leader in return touchdowns (14), Deonte Harris. Under Sielawa's watch, Harris averaged 29.5 yards per kick return and 19.0 yards per punt return. In addition, kicker Jacob Tondel and punter Seamus Wallace both earned all-league honors after Tondel was a perfect 49-for-49 on PATs and Wallace averaged 37.3 yards per punt.

Prior to his time in Smithfield, Sielawa served three seasons as the offensive line coach and the Director of Football Operations at Assumption. Sielawa was involved with film evaluation, the creation of weekly scouting reports and recruiting. Under his tutelage, four players earned postseason recognition. Matt Sidebottom was named the NE-10 Offensive Lineman of the Year in 2010 and also earned first team all-conference honors. Dan Duggan earned second-team honors in 2010 and first team honors in 2011. Matt Boruchowski and Blake Nold were both First Team All-Worcester Area selections in 2010 and 2012, respectively.

In his duties as the director of ops, Sielawa was in charge of scheduling all travel, team meals, official recruiting weekends, academic meetings and the football budget.

Sielawa also enjoyed a standout career at Nichols from 2006-09. He was a four-year letter winner at both tight end and on the offensive line for the Bison.

A native of Dudley, Mass., Sielawa earned his bachelor's degree in sport management from Nichols College in 2010. He also earned his master's from Nichols in organizational leadership.

 Sielawa and his wife, Elizabeth, have three daughters, Tenley, Ava, and Kylie, and a son, E.J.