You'd be hard pressed to find another college football assistant with a résumé to match George Darlington's.
There was so much chatter around USD about replacing quarterback Josh Johnson that little mention went to the departure of defensive coordinator Dave Adolph, the longtime NFL assistant who spent four seasons with the Toreros.
That's because unlike the quarterback scenario, head coach Ron Caragher didn't have to wait until late August to decide who would be running the defense. In January, Caragher hired Darlington, who was part of three national championships at Nebraska. From 1973 to 1985, he coached the defensive ends and outside linebackers before taking over the secondary from 1986-2002. During his final seven seasons, the secondary ranked in the nation's top 10 four times.
He became the first assistant coach in NCAA Division I-A history to win more than 300 games with the same institution. A former football and lacrosse standout at Rutgers, Darlington was honored as the 1998 All-American Football Foundation's top assistant coach in the country.
“As long as my health is good and I still enjoy it, that keeps me getting up every day,” said Darlington, 69. “My family assumes I'll die somewhere on the field. But they are supportive.”
As the Toreros (2-0) rested during their bye week and began preparing for Saturday's game at Campbell, Darlington and Co. were looking for ways to make a pretty good defense into an outstanding defense.
“We're so close to being a really good team,” Caragher said. “There is still some fine-tuning to be done. But so far I'm pleased with where we are at, and George has done a great job.”
The two coaches met 14 years ago during a prep scouting combine in Ventura County. Darlington was recruiting for Nebraska, Caragher for UCLA. Darlington's name was at the top of Caragher's list when USD's defensive coordinator position became available. Aside from his 30 years at Nebraska, Darlington also has coached at Marshall, San Jose State, Southeast Missouri State, Lebanon Valley and Dartmouth.
Since coming to Mission Valley, Darlington has installed a new scheme that emphasizes more pressure. Though it took some adjustments, it's sitting well with team veterans.
“He likes to get at it,” defensive back Gabriel Derricks said. “He's so wise. Everything he says, you know it's filled with wisdom.”
In two games this season, the Toreros have yielded 32 points – 22 to Marist and 10 to Azusa Pacific. They're tied for second in NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision in interceptions (4) and eighth in pass defense efficiency. That's not good enough, says linebacker Loka Kanongataa.
“Our tackling has been kind of iffy, speaking for just the linebackers, so we have to work on that,” said Kanongataa, who leads the team in tackles and also has an interception and punt block. “(Darlington is) a smart coach. We just do what he tells us to do because we trust him. We're still getting used to everything, but we should be fine.”
Though Darlington's wife, Susan, their three children and nine grandchildren are all in Lincoln, Neb., he said having a commuter marriage is part of the job – a job he's been doing well since the '60s.
“If I didn't love it, I'd get out,” he said. “But it's still fun. The kids here remind me of the walk-ons we had at Nebraska. They love to play. And that makes it fun for me to coach.”
Kevin Gemmell: (619) 718-5304; kevin.gemmell@uniontrib.com
