Cortland Standard .net

By TANEY BEAUMONT
Staff Writer
When it came to awards, one thing led to another for Dave Darrow recently.
The Cortland High wrestling coach was first named 2014 New York State (New York State Public High School Athletic Association) Coach of the Year by the National Federation of State High School Associations, and that organization also honored him as 2014 Coach of the Year for the Northeast Section, which includes New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont.
“It’s because I’m old and have a lot of wins and a good winning percentage,” Darrow said of the award. He has compiled a 455-152-4 dual-meet record in his 26 seasons as head coach of the Purple Tigers. He has also produced three individual sectional champions and a pair of state tournament wild card participants.
“They ask you about your coaching philosophy,” Darrow said. “You have to fill out a form and talk to someone. It’s a long drawn-out process. Jeff (Johnson, the CHS athletic director) and Section 3 submitted it, and I appreciate their efforts on my behalf. It’s not something that I sought after; I’m not an awards guy. I’d rather have the kids wrestle well.”
Darrow noted that he’s known about the award for awhile but kept it quiet because “I didn’t want it to be a distraction. We’re wrestling well. This is a good group of kids and parents.”
Athletic directors can nominate coaches for NFSHSAA awards, which Johnson did for Darrow, and notification of Darrow’s awards came last month via a letter from NFSHSAA.
THE PURPLE TIGERS are 30-3 in dual meets so far this season and had won all five dual-meet tournaments they competed in previous to the Section 3 Duals, where they went 1-1.
Darrow noted that one of the questions he had to answer as part of the application process for award consideration concerned his coaching philosophy. “It’s about helping kids make good decisions, to help them grow up and become good adults,” he said. “There are a lot of life lessons in wrestling. We like to build a team family unit, and from there the individuals take care of themselves.
“I was surprised when I found out I won the state award, and it went from there. It’s the program that won; the kids work hard, and the coaching staff is awesome. We’ve had great kids, and it’s been a lot of fun. It’s always fun wrestling Homer; it’s a nice rivalry. The coaches and kids know each other and get along, and it’s good for the schools. I’ve had a lot of support from the administration over the years, and Jeff has been great to our program. I owe him a lot.”
“Dave is very deserving of the awards and recognition,” Johnson said. “He’s worked very hard to build a competitive wrestling program, and is an excellent teacher of wrestling skills and strategies. He’s very dedicated to his athletes and to the sport of wrestling.
“He has provided his athletes with quality programs, including opportunities in the off-season via clinics and camps. He also works with wrestlers at the younger levels, and has always emphasized sportsmanship as part of his program. We’re very fortunate to have him as a member of our coaching staff.”
THE LATE GARY DILLINGHAM coached the CHS varsity squad from 1962 through 1980, later coached the Modified team and was a volunteer Modified coach at the time of his untimely death last Wednesday. “One of (Darrow’s) biggest strengths is matching up and juggling lineups in dual meets,” Dillingham, a member of the Cortland High and Section 3 Wrestling Halls of Fame and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame’s Upstate New York Chapter, said earlier last week. “He does a good job of that. I freely admit that he’s much more intellectual that I was. I put kids out and said ‘If you can beat us, beat us.’
“Now with the internet, there’s so much more information available. Dave takes that and uses it to give his team the best chance to win. He puts more emphasis on dual meets than I did; my emphasis was on tournaments, especially sectionals.”
Mexico coach Bill Kays, who is being inducted into the Section 3 Wrestling Hall of Fame this November, is in his 27th year at the helm of the Tigers. “Dave and I have gone against each other in each of his 26 seasons,” he said. “Our teams have been in the same leagues that whole time. He’s been at it a long time, with football too, and has a lot of wins. It’s always a tough battle between us, and it’s like old home week. It’s a well-deserved award.”