Gary Darnell Gary Brent Darnell ( born October 15 , 1948 ) is a former American college football player and coach . Darnell is native of Arkansas and an alumnus of Oklahoma State University , where he played college football . A long - time defensive coordinator , Darnell was also previously the head coach at Western Michigan University and Tennessee Technological University , as well as the interim head coach at the University of Florida and Texas A & M University . College career . Well traveled , Gary Darnell made eleven stops during his 18 - year coaching career . As a student , he attended Oklahoma State University as a personal management major and linebacker for the Cowboys football team . As a senior in 1969 , he earned All - Big Eight Conference linebacker honors . He earned a bachelor of arts degree in 1969 and again joined the Oklahoma State football team as a graduate assistant . Assistant and interim head coaching career . In 1971 , he was hired on a full - time basis as the linebackers coach . He later joined the coaching staffs at Southern Methodist University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill under the same position . In 1978 , Darnell became assistant head coach and defensive coordinator at Kansas State University . Darnell and the new staff turned around a program that went 0 – 11 in 1977 , taking them to the Independence Bowl in 1982 , Kansas State ' s first bowl appearance . In 1986 , Darnell joined the staff of Al Groh at Wake Forest University as assistant head coach and defensive coordinator . He spent two years with the Demon Deacons before accepting the same position at the University of Florida in 1988 . In each of his two seasons at Florida , his defenses ranked third nationally and first in the Southeastern Conference . In the middle of the 1989 season , he took over for his fired predecessor , Galen Hall , as head coach at Florida , leading the Gators to a 3 – 4 record over the season ' s final seven games . In 1990 , he accepted a position under Lou Holtz at the University of Notre Dame as assistant head coach and defensive coordinator . Darnell was replacing Barry Alvarez , who left to take the head coaching job at Wisconsin . He later joined John Mackovic ' s staff at the University of Texas at Austin as assistant head coach and special teams coordinator in 1992 . Two years later , he moved from special teams to defensive coordinator , serving in that position through the 1996 season . He then moved on to become Western Michigan University ' s head coach in 1997 . Texas A & M . Darnell was hired as the defensive coordinator at Texas A & M University by head coach Dennis Franchione for the 2006 season . Franchione had previously served as Darnell ' s offensive coordinator at Tennessee Tech in 1983 and 1984 . Inheriting a team that finished 107th in total defense and 97th in scoring defense , Darnell implemented a quick turnaround , with the 2006 team finishing 37th in total defense and 32nd in scoring defense . A day after head coach Dennis Franchione resigned , A & M athletic director Bill Byrne named Darnell the interim head coach . Darnell coached the Aggies in the 2007 Alamo Bowl , which was Darnell ' s 12th bowl to coach . Head coaching career . Tennessee Tech . After his success at Kansas State , Darnell was hired as head coach at Tennessee Technological University in 1983 where his success as a defensive coach was not duplicated . In his three years with Tennessee Tech , Darnell compiled a 3 – 29 record . Western Michigan . Darnell was hired in 1997 by Western Michigan University as head coach . Inheriting a team that finished 2 – 9 in 1996 , Darnell led a six game turnaround to 8 – 3 , the largest turnaround among NCAA teams in 1997 . Western Michigan entered the 1998 season with a seven - game winning streak , the fourth - longest in the nation . The 1998 squad finished with a 7 – 4 overall record . In 1999 , the Broncos clinched the Mid - American Conference West Division title on their way to a 7 – 5 overall record . The following year , the Broncos repeated as West Division champions with the fourth - best scoring defense in the nation , were ranked as high as 27th in the national polls , and held an eight - game winning streak , the longest at Western Michigan in forty - one years . For his efforts , Darnell was named the 2000 Mid - American Conference Coach of the Year . Following the 2000 season , Darnell became a top candidate for several head coaching positions at BCS conference schools , including the University of Missouri , the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , Rutgers University , and Oklahoma State University . He ultimately signed a five - year extension to remain at WMU . Darnell ' s last four seasons at Western Michigan were less successful , with the team posting a combined 15 – 31 record and without a winning season . Darnell was fired after the 2004 season , and the remaining year left on his contract was bought out by the university . Darnell spent the 2005 season out of coaching . His career record at WMU was 46 – 46 . Several of Darnell ' s assistant coaches have gone on to be head coaches , including Dennis Franchione , Gary Patterson , Bill Cubit , Jim Knowles , Dan Enos , and J . C . Harper .