Grinnell College Athletics

As starting left tackle and defensive lineman, Mark Trocinski was a vital piece in Grinnell College football's 1998 conference championship season. Trocinski opened up running lanes and made sure quarterback (and fellow Hall of Famer) Troy Dougherty '00 was well protected. During that year, the Pioneers went 10-0, averaged 45.6 points per game, and recorded 4,849 yards of total offense – an average of 6.5 yards per play.
 
After the 1998 season, Trocinski was selected as a Hewlett-Packard first team All-American, a Football Gazette third team All-American, and to the Midwest Conference first team.
 
In an era where two-way players had long since gone by the wayside, Trocinski excelled on both sides of the ball. In 1997, Trocinski was named to the first team all-MWC squad as both an offensive and defensive lineman while helping lead the Pioneers to the conference title game. Trocinski was an all-conference player in three seasons, served as team captain for two seasons, and twice won the team's Abe Rosenbloom '34 Most Outstanding Offensive or Defensive Lineman Award.
 
Trocinski also drew recognition for his work in the classroom. An economics and political science major, he was an academic all-conference selection in 1996 and was named third team Academic All-District.
 
After Grinnell, Trocinski earned an MBA and law degree from the University of Iowa. He was a college professor at American University in Europe and served as a foreign service officer in Washington and Argentina. He currently is an attorney in the Denver office of Berry Appleman & Leiden, specializing in immigration law.