After a tour of the country, Dave Walkosky is named head coach at Division II Tiffin University

By MIKE MATHISON, sports editor
TIFFIN — In less than one year, Dave Walkosky has gone from Toledo to Pullman, Wash., to San Luis Obispo, Calif., to Tiffin.

But, the 39-year-old said that was done to chase one dream — to be a college head football coach.

That dream was accomplished recently when the 1987 Catholic Central graduate was named the head football coach at Division II Tiffin University.

“Everything I have done to this point is to make sure it was the right move to be a head coach, which was my ultimate goal,” Walkosky said.

He arrived in Pullman to be an assistant coach at Washington State on July 1.

That job evaporated five months later when head coach Bill Doba, with whom Walkosky had a great relationship, stepped down.

Walkosky headed south to San Luis Obispo, where his wife, Wendy, is a graduate. He was around the Mustangs’ coaching staff on a daily basis and told them he was more than happy to be a volunteer assistant with the Division 1-AA program.

After all, he had signed a two-year contract at Washington State through June 2009.

“We sold our house in Washington and moved to San Luis Obispo,” said Walkosky. “I went to Cal Poly every day, talked with them every day. I told them if I was going to stay there I would help them out and be the sideline guy, or do something with the program.

“Then, this came open.”

Tiffin University was not an unknown commodity to Walkosky.

It is about an hour south of the University Toledo, where he played football, received his degree in education and was an assistant coach for eight years before heading west.

“When Tiffin came open, I did research on the program,” he said. “I talked to (athletic director) Lonny Allen on the phone and asked if they were interested in me.

“I met with the president of the school, the vice president, the board and found out where they’re going with the program and it’s phenomenal.

“Tiffin is a great opportunity for me.

“I didn’t want to be a head coach just anywhere. I did not want to take a job just to take a job.

“During the interview they told me about the plans for a new indoor facility. This wasn’t just talk, it was action. I got really excited about the opportunity to be the head coach.

“The kids and the commitment to football and winning are here.

“The extreme goal is to win a national championship. But, first we have to win Ohio and the conference.”

“Tiffin University is fortunate to have someone as qualified as David Walkosky to lead our football program. As we enter the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, we are confident that coach Walkosky will continue our tradition of excellence by focusing on high standards for our student-athletes, both on and off the field,” said Tiffin University President Paul Marion.

“We are pleased David is joining the football program,” said Allen. “With his experience, he was the right person for the position. He has a background of success at the Division I level that he is well-suited to implement at TU as the program moves to the next level as we enter the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.”

Walkosky was a defensive coach for the University of Toledo from 1999-2006, working with the defensive secondary and the linebackers as well as special teams. Prior to that he was defensive coordinator at the University of Tennessee at Martin, while also coaching defense and offense at the University of Memphis and Waynesburg College.

During his eight seasons at Toledo, the Rockets produced eight winning seasons, appeared in four bowl games, won two Mid-American Conference Championships and six MAC West Division titles. In 2006, Toledo’s secondary intercepted 11 passes, returning three for touchdowns.

In 2006 Toledo’s defense ranked No. 1 in the MAC in both scoring (21.8) and total defense (316.8). Walkosky’s special teams units were also a key part of UT’s success. In 2003, the Rockets finished third in the nation in punt returns (16.1 yards/return), and fifth in net punting (42.9).

The marriage of Walkosky and Tiffin was made easier because of his ties with the state of Ohio in recruiting.

“That’s exactly my feelings,” he said. “I’ve recruited all of Ohio. I know all the football coaches in central Ohio, southeast Ohio and northwest Ohio. I have great ties with these me. They know me. I’ve recruited their players and had success with them on the field and helped them graduate.

“Again, that’s part of a great situation I feel I’m walking into here. I believe in Ohio high school football.”

Another plus for Walkosky is the previous regimes have not recruited the Ohio Valley.

“That’s another untapped thing we can jump into,” he said. “That’s awesome for me. I’m excited about that. I feel we can pull great players out of the Ohio Valley, Weirton, Wheeling, Western Pa., and down the river.

“We can get the great players and the great students.”

Like many high school graduates, Walkosky didn’t know what he wanted to do at college, other than two things.

“I wanted to play football and get a degree and I was not going to deviate from either of those,” he said. “I was very determined the play football in college.

“Rich Saccoccia, Reno’s uncle, and coach (Gregg) Bahen were two people who were great to me and helped me so much. Rich was the AD at Wintersville at the time and he was sending film out for me to get recruited.

“Those two guys helped me get to Toledo and helped me get started.

“Ken Mannie (now the strength coach at Michigan State and a Catholic Central graduate) was at Toledo then and he took me under his wing when I was up there.

“My first year in college I had no idea what I was doing (majoring) in communications. I just did it. My second year I realized I wanted to get into teaching and coaching, but I didn’t know to what extreme.

“My fifth year of school, I knew I wanted to get into coaching and Dean Pees, who is now the defensive coordinator for the (New England) Patriots, was my mentor and helped me get into college coaching.”

One of the natural questions Walkosky has been asked is about a need to return to Division I coaching, since his time at Toledo and in Pullman.

“I want to stay for an extended period of time,” he said. “Coaching is coaching when you walk onto the field. If I’m coaching the Junior Crusaders and the kids do it right, then I’m excited about it.

“When I’m walking into the (Los Angeles) Coliseum (where USC plays), I want the players to do the right thing. I’m fired up when they do it and disappointed when they don’t.

“I have a plan and I’ll stick to that plan. You regurgitate everything from other coaches and I’ve been around some good ones — Nick Saban, Gary Pinkel, Tim Rose, Tom Amstutz. They’ve all won and all have common denominators between them.

“It’s still the player’s team. Make no mistake, though, I’m leading this team. I’m still commander in chief, but they will always be Tiffin football players and Tiffin graduates.

“They can be as good as they want to be.

“I told them they are either in or out. There is no gray area. I believe in that. I know that works and that’s what we’re going to do. It’s not about me. As a staff and as players, we’re all in it as one.

“I don’t want to chase logos. I want to chase my kids around (he and his wife have two sons, Paolo and Nicolo). I’d rather chase them than be out chasing a logo on my chest.”



(Mathison can be contacted at mmathison@heraldstaronline.com)