DURHAM – Duke Vice President and Director of Athletics Nina King announced Thursday the hiring of Manny Diaz as the 23rd head football coach at Duke University.
Details regarding Diaz’s introductory press conference on Saturday will be forthcoming.
The former University of Miami head coach and current defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Penn State University for the past two seasons, succeeds Mike Elko, who held the position for two years.
“As our process unfolded, it became abundantly clear that Manny Diaz is the right fit for Duke University and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome Manny, Stephanie, and their family into the Duke community,” King said. “Manny’s previous experiences have prepared him for this opportunity, and he is, quite simply, an outstanding football coach who will capitalize on the positive momentum of this program. An elite communicator and collaborator, Manny possesses the dynamic ability to cultivate impactful relationships with internal and external constituents surrounding a successful football program. As Duke’s head football coach, I am confident that Manny will lead the young men in our program to reach and surpass their aspirations of achievement both on and off the field.”
In Diaz’s 26 years of coaching, three have been spent as a head coach and 15 as a defensive coordinator, including 10 at the FBS Power 5 level.
“I am thrilled to welcome Manny Diaz as the new head coach of Duke Football,” Duke President Vincent E. Price said. “He is an experienced coach with a strong track record of success, deep knowledge of the ACC, and an exciting vision for the future of our program. I am confident our student-athletes will continue to achieve tremendous success on the field and in the classroom under his leadership, and I look forward to welcoming Manny and his family to the Bull City.”
Diaz, 49, has coached in 21 bowl games, including two BCS national championship games, and led the Hurricanes to three consecutive bowl appearances during his time as head coach. Those bowl games were the 2019 Walk-On’s Independence, the 2020 Cheez-It and the 2021 Tony the Tiger Sun bowl.
“We are grateful and humbled for this opportunity and could not be…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Duke University…