North Park University Athletics

2024 marked the second season as an assistant football coach with the North Park University football program for Coach John Lizak. Lizak works to develop the offensive line for NPU Football.

The 2024 North Park offensive line powered a nationally ranked passing attack (24th with 2,813 yards), enabling senior quarterback Matt Eck to set a program record with 2,732 passing yards (12th nationally), 26 touchdowns (24th nationally), and 273.2 yards per game (13th nationally), while protecting him to achieve a 64% completion rate and tie the program’s all-time TD record. Offensive Tackle Josh De Luca earned 2nd Team All-CCIW, which was the program's first selection since 2018 for the offensive line. The Vikings secured five wins in back to back seasons, leading an offense that totaled 3,514 yards and 35 touchdowns, cementing the team as one of the most dynamic offenses in Division III.

The 2023 offensive line anchored North Park Football’s most successful season in over 50 years, powering the team to five wins. They helped quarterback Matt Eck, ranked 8th among active players in career passing yards (6,208), achieve a career-best season with 19 touchdowns, 223.1 passing yards per game, and lead an offense that totaled 3,196 yards and 33 touchdowns.

Coach Lizak comes to North Park University from the University of Chicago. During his thirteen-year stint (2010-2022) as the Offensive Line Coach and Run Game Coordinator at the University of Chicago, Lizak helped guide the Maroons to their best winning percentage 0.641667 in the Modern Era and a record of 77-43.  The Maroons won two UAA Championships (2010, 2014) and twice named UAA Coaching Staff of the year 2010 and 2014.

Lizak developed 18 players who earned 43 All-Conference selections in three different leagues (UAA, SAA & MWC).  27 All-UAA, 12 All-MWC players and 4 All-SAA on the offensive line. Those players have totaled 9 First Team All-UAA, 9 First Team All-MWC and 2 First Team All-SAA selections, including John Tabash and Doug Barkauski three times each respectively.  3 Players were named D3football All-Region Team during his tenure.

The 2022 Maroon offense rolled up 37.3 points per game, as running back Nicholas D'Ambrose ranked among the best rushers in the nation. D'Ambrose produced the seventh-most rushing yards in school history (1,095 yards) while ranking second nationally in scoring per game (14.2 PPG), fifth in rushing yards per game (136.9 YPG), seventh in rushing touchdowns (17), 11th in total touchdowns (19), 12th in yards per carry (6.6) and 13th in all-purpose yards per game (155.4 YPG). The rushing offense was 17th in NCAA Division III at 225.4 yards per game. Offensive Tackle Yale Hardberger was picked Third Team All-Region by D3football.com.

The landmark 2021 campaign saw the Maroon offense break six single-season school records, three single-game school records and seven individual records. Running back Nicholas D'Ambrose led the nation with a school-record 1,714 rushing yards, while setting new program bests for yards per carry (7.4), points scored (120) and rushing touchdowns (20). In the national rankings, the offense was ranked first in third-down conversions (.566), fifth in total offense (518 YPG), fifth in rushing offense (309.4 YPG), fifth in scoring offense (48 PPG), eighth in red zone offense (.889) and 19th in first downs (255). Offensive guard Michael Bobak was picked Second Team All-Region by D3football.com.

The 2019 season saw UChicago rank highly on the national scene in several categories, including 12th in third-down conversion percentage (.508) and 27th in rushing offense (225.4 YPG). The offense scored 30.3 points per game. Center Doug Barkauski was named Third Team All-Region by D3football.com. The offense averaged 5.2 yards per carry and completed 61.7 percent of its passes.

The 2018 Maroons set a new school mark for points scored (365) in a season. The team's 63 points versus Beloit College also set a modern-era record. The squad ranked seventh in the nation in red zone offense. Quarterback Jeffrey Jackson broke the school record for completion percentage as well (64.5 percent).

Lizak's 2017 offensive line blocked for record-setting running back Chandler Carroll, who set new school marks for career touchdowns (46), career rushing touchdowns (37), career points (276), career rushing attempts (859) and touchdowns in a season (18).

The 2016 Maroon offense produced the most prolific season in school history, breaking 10 team records and 11 individual records (career, season and game). The offensive line blocked for quarterback Burke Moser, who finished second in the nation in both passing yards (3,766) and completions per game (31.7).  Running back Chandler Carroll ran for more than 1,000 yards for the second-straight year (1,077).

In 2015, UChicago's offensive line helped pave the way for the school's first 1,000-yard rusher in 19 years. Running back Chandler Carroll put up the sixth-highest season total in school history (1,060 yards) and also broke the single-game rushing mark with 305 yards.

Lizak's offensive lines helped quarterbacks Burke Moser and Marshall Oium set a combined 15 school records. 

Prior to UChicago, Lizak served as offensive line coach at Elmhurst College for nine years, where he was part of coaching staffs that built Elmhurst College from a 2-8 football team in 2001 to sustained success with 5 seasons with six wins or more and the best record since 1981 of 7-3 including a signature win over Wheaton College.  16 offensive records were broken during his tenure. The 2004 Offensive Line was named D3Football.com team of the week 1 vs Benedictine.

 Lizak developed 4 players earning 5 All-CCIW selections and two Honorable Mention All-Americans. In 2005, Andy Brogan (TE) and Andrew Cook (C) were both Honorable Mention All-Americans and All-Region selections.  

Lizak took part in the published Coaches Choice DVD, "Pass Pro Fundamentals". He's been a keynote speaker at various clinics over the years. He's worked at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater offensive/defensive line clinic, Chicago Public School football clinic, SGS College, Bristol, United Kingdom Coaches’ Clinic and Niles West High School football clinic, and Bishop Knoll HS Clinic.

Lizak graduated from North Central College in 1995 with a degree in finance and earned All-CCIW honors as an offensive lineman in 1994.