Debeljak graduated from Mentor High School[2] and earned his bachelor's degree from John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio.
Debeljak played multiple positions for the Blue Streaks including defensive back, wide receiver and quarterback.
[4] After 12 seasons as an assistant for John Carroll, Debeljak was hired as an offensive coordinator by the neighboring Case Western Reserve University in 2001.
[5] Debeljak was named head football coach at Case Western Reserve on March 24, 2004 after serving the previous three seasons as offensive coordinator for the program.
[6] Debeljak had a rough start in his early years at Case Western but found significant success in the seasons following 2006.
In his first year as head coach, Debeljak led the Spartans to a 5–5 overall record and 2–1 mark in University Athletic Association (UAA) play.
[9][10] Debeljak was selected as one of five finalists for the NCAA Division III Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award in 2007.
The Spartants repeated their record of 10–1 from the previous season and lost in the first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs.
Case Western Reserve was a founding member of the PAC in 1955 but left for the North Coast Athletic Conference in 1984.
In the first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs, Debeljak's Spartans shut out the Illinois Wesleyan Titans 28–0 in a game that saw heavy snow.