- Danny Rocco
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Danny Rocco Sport(s) Football Current position Title Head coach Team Liberty University Conference Big South Record 40–16 Annual salary 2014 [1] Biographical details Born July 16, 1960 Place of birth Huntingdon, Pennsylvania Playing career 1979–1980
1981–1983Penn State
Wake ForestPosition(s) Linebacker Coaching career (HC unless noted) 1984–1985
1986
1987
1988–1990
1991–1993
1994–1997
1998–1999
2000
2001–2005
2006–presentWake Forest (GA)
Wake Forest (DL)
Colorado (LB)
Tulsa (AC)
Boston College (DL)
Texas (AC)
Maryland (AC)
New York Jets (AC)
Virginia (Assoc. HC)
LibertyHead coaching record Overall 40–16 Statistics College Football Data Warehouse Accomplishments and honors Championships 4 Big South (2006–2010) Awards 3x Big South Coach of the Year (2006–2008) Daniel Christopher Rocco (born July 16, 1960[2] in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania) is the current head coach of the Liberty University college football team and a former assistant coach of the New York Jets of the NFL. Rocco has over a quarter century of professional and collegiate coaching experience. Rocco earned his Bachelor's Degree in Speech Communications from Wake Forest in 1984. He then added an Education and Counseling Master's Degree from Wake Forest in 1987. He is the son of former Penn State assistant coach Frank Rocco Sr. and the brother of former Penn State quarterback Frank Rocco, Jr.[1]
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Playing career
Rocco played linebacker for Joe Paterno at Penn State earning letters in 1979 and 1980. He played in the 1979 Liberty Bowl and the 1980 Fiesta Bowl for the Nittany Lions. He then transferred to Wake Forest under then head coach Al Groh where he started for two more seasons at outside linebacker in 1982 and 1983. He was named team captain of the Demon Deacons in 1983.[2]
Coaching career
Throughout his coaching career, Rocco has been a friend and protégé of Al Groh, working with him for over six years in both collegiate and professional positions.
Rocco began his coaching career as a Graduate Assistant then defensive line coach at Wake Forest University from 1984 to 1986. After a season coaching linebackers at the Colorado under Bill McCartney, he spent three seasons at Tulsa. Next stop for Rocco was Boston College and three years under Tom Coughlin as defensive line coach.[1]
Liberty
Rocco was named the head coach of the Flames on December 2, 2005, succeeding Ken Karcher. He began his first stint as a head coach at any level taking over a program that went 1–10 the season before he arrived in 2005.[1]
In his first season as head coach at Liberty in 2006, he led the Flames to a 6–5 record and was honored by the Big South Conference as their Coach of the Year. He then followed that up in 2007 by leading the Flames to an 8–3 record and the school's first ever Big South Conference Championship and his second consecutive Coach of the Year distinction.
In February 2008, the university extended Rocco's contract through the 2012 season.[3]
He then followed that up with another Big South Conference championship in 2008 with a 5–0 record in league play. He was named Big South Coach of the Year for the third straight season.
In 2009, he stretched the Flames' Big South winning streak to a conference record 15 games before falling in the season finale at Stony Brook. Liberty shared the conference championship with the Seawolves. In 2010, a loss at Coastal Carolina led to a three-way share of the league title with the Chanticleers and Stony Brook. But CCU went to the playoffs based on a tie-breaker of point allowed in conference games.
In January 2010, Rocco signed a 2-year contract extension through the 2014 season.[4]
Head coaching record
Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs TSN# Coaches° Liberty Flames (Big South Conference) (2006–present) 2006 Liberty 6–5 2–2 3rd 2007 Liberty 8–3 4–0 1st 2008 Liberty 10–2 5–0 1st 14 15 2009 Liberty 8–3 5–1 1st 22 21 2010 Liberty 8–3 5–1 1st 17 15 Liberty: 40–16 21–4 Total: 40–16 National Championship Conference Title Conference Division Title References
- ^ a b c d "Rocco Given Contract Extension Through 2014". http://www.libertyflames.com/index.cfm?PID=10869&newsID=4850&TeamID=. Retrieved 2010-08-07.
- ^ a b 1995 University of Texas Football Media Guide p. 94
- ^ "Lynchburg NewsAdvance Article on Contract Extension". http://www.newsadvance.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=LNA%2FMGArticle%2FLNA_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1173354620136&path=!sports. Retrieved 2008-02-15.
- ^ "LU Official News Release on Extension". http://www.libertyflames.com/index.cfm?PID=10869&newsID=4850&TeamID=. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
External links
Liberty Flames head football coaches Lee Royer (1973) • John Cartwright (1974–1976) • Tom Dowling (1977–1983) • Morgan Hout (1984–1988) • Sam Rutigliano (1989–1999) • Ken Karcher (2000–2005) • Danny Rocco (2006–)
Current head football coaches of the Big South Conference Jay Mills (Charleston Southern) • David Bennett (Coastal Carolina) • Ron Dickerson, Jr. (Gardner–Webb) • Danny Rocco (Liberty) • Harold Nichols (Presbyterian) • Chuck Priore (Stony Brook) • Sparky Woods (VMI)
Categories:- 1960 births
- Living people
- People from Huntingdon, Pennsylvania
- Boston College Eagles football coaches
- Colorado Buffaloes football coaches
- Liberty Flames football coaches
- Maryland Terrapins football coaches
- New York Jets coaches
- Penn State Nittany Lions football players
- Texas Longhorns football coaches
- Tulsa Golden Hurricane football coaches
- Virginia Cavaliers football coaches
- Wake Forest Demon Deacons football coaches
- Wake Forest Demon Deacons football players
- Players of American football from Pennsylvania
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