USD Magazine Fall 2013

TORERO ATHLETICS

USD Football Head Coach Dale Lindsey believes that team success comes from individual commitment to a common goal.

For USD Head Footbal l Coach Dale Lindsey, i t ’s team f i rst [ o l d s c h o o l ] COMMITTED TO EXCELLENCE

by Mike Sauer n the weeks leading up to the kickoff for the season opener against Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, the trailer that serves as headquarters for USD football is abuzz with activity ... and well past its maximum occupancy. Coaches pass in and out of its narrow confines in a steady stream; their con- versations focused on game I

success has followed. In a day and age when many of the top collegiate coaches spend more time politicking in front of cameras than diagramming plays, the 70-year-old Lindsey considers himself a throwback to an era when coaches …well, coached. “I’m not one of those guys that’s going to go around shaking hands and playing the game;

and that’s to win football games.” It’s clear this group has been well coached on how to maximize their efficiency, which comes as no surprise considering who’s calling the shots. For the better part of 40 years, Lindsey has been bringing his no-nonsense approach to the locker rooms of college and professional football programs across the country, and

film, practice schedules and player workout regiments. In the trailer’s back office, USD Head Football Coach Dale Lindsey settles into his desk chair, folds his hands contemplatively and offers a typically frank assess- ment of his work environs: “Is it cramped in here? Sure. Does it matter to anyone, includingmyself? Hell no. We’ve got a job to do,

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