Darrell Hazell facts for kids

Darrell Ivan Hazell (born April 14, 1964) is a former American football coach. He was a head coach for two college teams: Kent State from 2011 to 2012, and Purdue from 2013 to 2016.

Darrell grew up in Cinnaminson Township, New Jersey. He graduated from Cinnaminson High School in 1982. There, he played football and ran track. He then went to Muskingum University in the fall of 1982. He was a starting player on the football team for his last three years. Darrell Hazell graduated from college in 1986.

Before becoming a head coach, he worked as an assistant coach for many teams. These included Oberlin, Eastern Illinois, Penn, Western Michigan, Army, West Virginia, and Rutgers. From 2004 to 2010, he was the wide receivers coach at Ohio State under coach Jim Tressel. In December 2010, Kent State hired him as their head coach. In 2012, his coaching skills were recognized when he was named the Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year.

On December 5, 2012, Purdue chose Hazell to be their new head coach. He replaced Danny Hope.

Early Life and High School

Darrell Hazell grew up in Cinnaminson Township, New Jersey. He went to Cinnaminson High School. He graduated in 1982. During his time there, he was a part of both the football team and the track & field team.

College Football Career

When Darrell was 17, he wasn't sure which college he wanted to attend. He went to a college fair in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. There, someone suggested he look at a small school in Ohio. Darrell filled out an information card for a small Ohio college.

A few weeks later, the head coach from Muskingum University, Jeff Heacock, called him. Coach Heacock invited Darrell for a visit. Darrell visited Muskingum and loved it. He decided to go there.

He started at Muskingum in the fall of 1982. He played as a wide receiver. In 1983, during his second year, he had an amazing season. He caught 805 receiving yards and scored 12 touchdowns. These were new records for the team at the time. His great performance earned him an All-Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) award.

Darrell continued to play well each year. In 1984, he again earned All-OAC honors. He helped his team win 9 games, which tied a school record. In his final year, 1985, he was a team captain. He earned All-OAC honors once more. He was also named an Honorable Mention All-American by Pizza Hut.

Besides football, Darrell was also a sprinter on the track team. He earned awards in track for several years. His college football records for receptions (132) and receiving yards (1,966) stood for many years. They were finally broken in 2013. In 1993, Darrell Hazell was honored by being added to the Muskingum University Athletic Hall of Fame.

Coaching Journey

Starting as a Coach

Darrell Hazell began his coaching career at Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio. He coached the running backs for two seasons. After that, in 1988, he became the running backs and wide receivers coach at Eastern Illinois University. There, he worked with Bob Spoo, a former Purdue quarterback.

The next year, Darrell went back to Oberlin College. This time, he became the offensive coordinator. After three years at Oberlin, he moved to Penn. Then, he coached wide receivers for two years at Western Michigan University under Coach Al Molde. In 2001, he joined Rutgers University as the wide receivers coach under new head coach Greg Schiano.

Coaching at Ohio State

In 2004, Hazell became the wide receivers coach at Ohio State University. He worked for head coach Jim Tressel. Coach Tressel trusted Hazell's skills. In 2005, he was promoted to Assistant Head Coach, while still coaching wide receivers. Darrell Hazell stayed with Ohio State until 2010.

Leading the Kent State Golden Flashes

2011 Season

In December 2010, Darrell Hazell was named the head coach at Kent State University. In his first season, the team had some tough losses. They played against strong teams like Alabama and Kansas State.

His first win at Kent State was on September 24, 2011. They beat South Alabama 33–25 at Dix Stadium. Later in the season, they had a great five-game winning streak. This included a big 35–3 win over their rival, Akron. It was Kent State's first win in Akron since 2003. The team finished the season with 5 wins and 7 losses overall. They were 4 wins and 4 losses in their conference.

2012 Season

The 2012 season started well with a 41–21 win over Towson. After a loss to Kentucky, the team went on an amazing winning streak. They won six games in a row. This was the longest winning streak for Kent State since 1940.

A big moment was their 35–23 win over the undefeated and 18th-ranked Rutgers. This was Kent State's first win ever against a ranked team! This win earned them votes in national polls. The team kept winning, beating Akron and Miami RedHawks. The win over Miami set a new team record for consecutive wins in a season (eight). It also tied the 1973 team for most wins in a season (nine). On November 11, Kent State was ranked 25th in the AP poll. This was their first time being ranked since 1973.

Kent State won their first-ever MAC East Division title. This earned them a spot in the 2012 MAC Championship Game. They beat Bowling Green 31–24 on November 17. After this win, the team climbed to No. 23 in the AP poll. They also entered the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) standings at No. 23. They reached as high as 17th in the BCS standings. This was after their final regular season win over Ohio. This win gave them their first undefeated season in MAC play. It also set a new record for most wins in a season with 11.

Kent State, however, lost in overtime to Northern Illinois in the MAC Championship Game. After this loss, Kent State was invited to play in the 2013 GoDaddy.com Bowl. Darrell Hazell accepted the head coaching job at Purdue on December 5. But Purdue allowed him to coach Kent State in the bowl game. This was Kent State's first bowl game since 1972. Kent State lost to Arkansas State 17–13, finishing the season with 11 wins and 3 losses.

Coaching the Purdue Boilermakers

2013 Season

On December 5, 2012, Darrell Hazell was announced as the 35th head coach for Purdue University. His contract with Purdue was for 6 years. In his first game at Purdue, the Boilermakers lost to the Cincinnati Bearcats. The next week, Hazell got his first win at Purdue, beating Indiana State 20–14.

After starting the season with 1 win and 3 losses, a new quarterback, Danny Etling, started playing. Hazell focused on giving younger players experience during the 2013 season. The Boilermakers finished the year with 1 win and 11 losses.

2014 Season

Before the 2014 season, Danny Etling was again chosen as the starting quarterback. Purdue started the season with a 43–34 victory over Western Michigan. Etling led Purdue to 2 wins and 3 losses in the first five games. Then, Hazell chose Austin Appleby to start the sixth game against Illinois. Appleby led Purdue to a 38–27 victory. This was Hazell's first win in the Big Ten Conference. After starting the season with 3 wins and 3 losses, Purdue lost their next six games. They finished the year with 3 wins and 9 losses.

2015 Season

During the time between seasons, quarterback Danny Etling moved to another team. Austin Appleby became the starting quarterback. The season began with a close loss to Marshall. But the team bounced back with a win over Indiana State.

After three games, Appleby was replaced by David Blough as the starting quarterback. This meant Purdue had four different starting quarterbacks in four seasons. Despite some good moments, Purdue continued to lose. They finished the season with 2 wins and 10 losses.

2016 Season

The 2016 season started with a 45–24 win over Eastern Kentucky. But then they lost to Cincinnati. After a break, the Boilermakers won a close game against Nevada. Then they lost badly to Maryland in their first Big Ten game of the year.

On October 16, 2016, after a loss to Iowa, Purdue University decided to let Hazell go. At that point, his record for the season was 3 wins and 3 losses. During his three and a half years at Purdue, Hazell's overall record was 9 wins and 33 losses.

Coaching for the Minnesota Vikings

On February 17, 2017, Darrell Hazell was hired as the wide receivers coach for the Minnesota Vikings. This was a professional football team.

Retirement

After the 2018 season, Darrell Hazell decided to retire from coaching.

Coaching Records