Gary Darnell

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Gary Darnell (born October 15, 1948) is currently the defensive coordinator of the Texas A&M Aggies football team. Previously, Darnell was the head football coach at Western Michigan University from 1997 until 2004, winning back-to-back Mid-American Conference West Division titles in 1999 and 2000. He was fired after the Broncos finished 1-10 in the 2004 season, which was their fourth consecutive losing season.

Other coaching stops include head coaching positions at Tennessee Technological University, where he compiled a 3-29 record over three years (1983-1985), and the University of Florida, where he took over halfway through the 1989 season for his fired predecessor, Galen Hall, and won three of the Gators' remaining seven games. Darnell has also held defensive coordinator positions at the University of Texas under John Mackovic, the University of Notre Dame under Lou Holtz, Wake Forest University under Al Groh, and Kansas State University under Jim Dickey.

Following the 2000 season, Darnell became a top candidate for several head coaching positions at BCS conference schools.[citation needed] He ultimately stayed at WMU as others claimed the titles at Missouri (Gary Pinkel), North Carolina (John Bunting), and Darnell's alma mater, Oklahoma State (Les Miles).

On December 16, 2005, he accepted the defensive coordinator position at Texas A&M University offered by head coach Dennis Franchione. Franchione had previously served as Darnell's offensive coordinator at Tennessee Tech in 1983 and 1984.

Darnell led the turnaround of A&M's defensive unit in 2006. Texas A&M finished the regular season #37 in the nation in total defense, after having finished 2005 at #107.[citation needed] The season was capped off by a 12-7 defeat of Texas, which A&M had not beaten since 1999.

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Preceded by
Galen Hall		 University of Florida Head Football Coach
1989		 Succeeded by
Steve Spurrier
Preceded by
Al Molde		 Western Michigan University Head Football Coach
1997–2004		 Succeeded by
Bill Cubit

"Tubby" Meyers • Spaulding • Olander • Martineau • Gary • Gill • Petoskey • Schlosser • Doolittle • Uzelac • Harbaugh • Molde • Darnell • Cubit

Forsythe • G.E. Pyle • McCoy • Busser • Kline • Van Fleet • Sebring • Bachman • Stanley • Cody • Lieb • Wolf • Woodruff • Graves • Dickey • Pell • Hall • Darnell • Spurrier • Zook • Strong • Meyer

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