Dr. Jay Antonelli retired as a Major in the Marine Corps after 20 years of active duty service. A 1992 graduate of the US Naval Academy, his first assignment after The Basic School was to MCAS Cherry Point, N.C. where he served as an air-artillery platoon commander.
In 1994 he was assigned to the All-Marine Wrestling team in Quantico, Va. where he served as the officer in charge while competing for the Marine Corps in both national and international events. In 1997, he was selected to coach the Marine Corps wrestling program. During his tenure as head coach he led the Marine Corps team to an Armed Forces Championship and a National Title. He was also selected by USA Wrestling to serve as a coach for the 2000 and 2008 Olympic Games and numerous USA World teams. In September of 2007, he led the US Greco-Roman team to their first ever World Team title in Baku, Azerbaijan. He was twice named USA Wrestling’s “Coach of the Year.”
Re-designated as a public affairs officer in 2001, Major Antonelli deployed to Baghdad Iraq in 2004 and served as the media chief for Multi National Force-Iraq. As the media chief he was responsible for the transportation and credentialing of all journalists in Iraq and communication about ongoing operations. Upon returning from Iraq in 2005, he was assigned to the Joint Public Affairs Support Element (JPASE) located in Suffolk, Va. In 2007, he deployed to Kandahar Afghanistan where he escorted media throughout the country and assisted NATO with their communication strategy.
In September of 2008 Major Antonelli was assigned to Joint Task Force-Civil Support at Ft. Monroe, Va. where he served as the J37 Exercise Chief and was responsible for the readiness of the Task Force in case of a North American catastrophe. In 2009, he was assigned to the US Naval Academy where he served as an assistant wrestling coach and physical education instructor.
Major Antonelli retired from the Marine Corps in May of 2012 and is currently the Director of Physical Education at the United States Naval Academy, he is responsible for the physical readiness of the brigade of Midshipmen.
Dr. Antonelli has a masters’ degree in Exercise, Fitness and Health Promotion from George Mason University, as well as, an EdD in Sports Management from Northcentral University. His personal decorations include the Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Medal, two Joint Service Commendation Medals and the Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Medal.
He and wife Ingrid, have four children, Frank, Nikolas, Emma and Leonardo.
