Over the summer, Dartmouth football’s very own Kevin Daft, an associate head coach and tight ends coach, was selected by the Los Angeles Chargers for the National Football League Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship. Before the Big Green returned to the field on Aug. 21, Daft spent his vacation time at the Chargers’ training camp. Daft played for the San Diego Chargers in 2000 after being selected in the fifth round of the 1999 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans. He was a quarterback for the Titans during their run to Super Bowl XXXIV in 1999. The Dartmouth sat down with Daft to talk about his time with the Chargers.
Congrats on being selected by the Los Angeles Chargers for the NFL Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship! What does the fellowship entail?
KD: It is a fellowship set up for diversity. It’s really for professional development for coaches or personnel to get experience in a professional environment. It usually happens during NFL training camps or organized team activities in June. Essentially, I’m an intern there. It could span anywhere from a week to four weeks, depending on someone’s current job.
While I was there, I worked with the wide receiver’s coach, who is a good coaching friend of mine, Sanjay Lal. I worked with him a long time ago. I was in all the wide receiver meetings, all the staff meetings and was traveling with the team to the preseason games. [I was] able to gain a lot of experience and see how their organization is run, how they do practices and drills.
Did you grow up as a Chargers fan?
KD: I did not. I grew up in Orange County, Southern California, and I grew up a Rams fan. I actually played for the Chargers for a year. I played quarterback, and Jim Harbaugh was a quarterback at the time, too. There are about four or five people from my time who still work there — two of the equipment guys, the vice president and the old trainer.
What did you learn from Harbaugh and the camp?
KD: [Harbaugh is] a players’ coach. He listens to the players. It is different coaching a professional athlete than a college athlete. You deal with guys who are older and who have families. They’ve been through a lot of different organizations. He has great relationships with the players and he’s able to get a lot of good feedback from them. He’s put together a great staff.
[I learned from] just being there. I was around some great football minds, guys who have had a lot of success in the NFL, and I was able to pick their brains and listen to see how they do things. For football coaches, it is not just plays, but how you get people to run the correct plays and the techniques involved.
Are you applying what you learned to Dartmouth football this season?
KD: Yes, a lot of little things, definitely the route running. The way [Sanjay Lal] teaches the route running — the details of foot placement, the types of footwork involved and the steps that guys take to be more efficient coming in and out of breaks. He’s very detail-oriented in how he teaches.
Also, the structure of a meeting. In football, you have a lot of meetings where you watch films. You watch film of every practice, every game and other people’s games. I like the way he structures his meetings and the environment that he creates. The players can talk freely and get a lot of their input and structure in a way that’s a great learning environment. They’re able to take it from the meeting room to the practice field and eventually the games.
Do you see yourself going back to a program like this?
KD: I do not know. I loved the experience. I was able to do it during our off time, which gives me a chance to do it. I am a football junkie. I love football. I am always looking to get better, learn and grow, and programs like this enable you to do that. Any opportunities along those lines are things I would love to be able to do.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
