Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Athletics

Jeff Dittman is in his second stint with the Engineers, having returned to Troy in the Spring of 2016. He was brought back to campus to serve as the special teams coordinator and defensive backs coach and has since been promoted to defensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator. He also coaches the defensive backs.

In his four years since rejoining the Engineers, Dittman has helped the program to two Liberty League titles and post-season appearances every year, including back-to-back NCAA Tournaments with a trip to the national quarterfinals in 2018. The team has won 30 games in that span, allowing 14-or-fewer points in 12 games with four shutouts.

The Engineers finished 2019 with a winning record (6th straight) following a 2018 campaign in which they registered 10 victories (2nd most in school history), a Liberty League title (2nd straight) and qualification into the NCAA Playoffs (2nd straight for 1st time in school history). Rensselaer advanced to the quarterfinals for just the second time ever, finished nationally-ranked and earned ECAC Division III Team of the Year. 

Rensselaer had an 8-3 season in 2017 when it won the Liberty League title and earned a bid to the NCAA Playoffs. It won both trophy games on the road and finished the regular season on a five-game winning streak, a stretch that would reach 13 consecutive regular season wins.

A native of Pleasantville, N.Y., Dittman came back to Troy from the University of Albany, where he had been for three seasons as the director of football operations as well as special teams coordinator and defensive assistant. In operations, he was responsible for all facets of the program, including in-season travel, roster management, facilities liaison, camps, clinics and special events. He also had a supervisory role with interns, work-study students and volunteers. 

On the field, he devised schemes and game plans for all areas of special teams, established practice plans and depth charts and recruited. He was also the liaison to the academic advising office.

While at Rensselaer originally, from July 2011 to June 2013, Dittman worked with the defensive line, special teams and defensive backs. He mentored student-athletes individually as well as in units, teaching numerous stances and techniques. He assisted with game planning as well as various in-game responsibilities, including relaying signals. Dittman also recruited, coordinated video breakdown and exchange, and the team's special events.

He was also an admissions associate who spoke about the Institute's academic programs, application process and history to prospective students.

Dittman spent three seasons at St. Lawrence, where he helped the Saints to the 2010 Liberty League title and NCAA Tournament as the linebackers (1 year) and defensive line (2 years) coach.

A member of the American Football Coaches Association, he has also worked as a clinician at numerous camps, such as Vermont All-Star Football, Brian Leonard Football, Boston College and Dartmouth. He was the director of the Greg Gattuso Big Dog Football Camp and served as a counselor at the College Prep Football Camp as well as the Big Ugly Lineman Challenge.

Dittman was a two-time captain as a linebacker at Hartwick, where he played from 2003 to 2006. He earned the team's A.J. Pittorino Award for high character, the Phil Rigano Award – the highest award for academic and athletic excellence – and the M. Beal Banks Award, which is the athletic department's award for character.

He earned a Bachelor's in Accounting from Hartwick in 2007 and went on to earn a Master's of Education in General Studies at St. Lawrence in 2009.

Dittman and his wife, Martha, have a son, James, with a second child expected in the Spring of 2021.