Nov. 18, 2004
Quoting TCU Athletics Director Eric Hyman:
"There are a lot of things that excite us about Darryl. He is from Arizona State, a very successful program that is a rival of TCU. He's coached 43 all-Americans and was voted the National Assistant Coach of the Year last season. One thing that is really important is that he really has a great concern and connection with the student-athletes, which is paramount."
"We canvassed around the entire country and talked to a lot of people and Darryl's name always came up."
"The young people know that he has their best interest in their heart, which is really, I think, important as this program moves forward."
Quoting new TCU Track and Field Head Coach Darryl Anderson:
On what has separated TCU from other coaching opportunities:
"I have been coaching since 1984, so this is my 20th year, at Kansas State, Kentucky and Arizona State. The farther along that I got in coaching as an assistant, the smaller the possible schools that interested me as a head coach got."
"For me to get the opportunity to start the head coaching responsibilities, why not TCU? It is a great opportunity because what has happened here in the past. There are great expectations in the program and that is what motivates a person to work hard."
On whether he'll continue to recruit international athletes:
"There has been a lot of international kids at TCU. We will continue to cultivate that, but I think it is important for us to cultivate Texas as well as the Dallas/Fort Worth area. For the first time in my coaching career, I am going to be at a place where we can make a living with kids in the state and in this area. This area for high school track and field, if not the best, is the second best in the country. You can argue all day and all night whether California or Texas is the best track state in the country. Bottom line is we have to get out and cultivate this area and get the kids from Texas and Dallas/Fort Worth to want to come to TCU and then go on to the international kids from there."
On focus on sprints
"We're going to do the sprints at a high level, but we're also going to have a little balance. I think moving to the Mountain West, we are going to have to address a couple of event areas if we are going to be a top school. One thing you can continue to expect is we're going to run a fast 4x100 and we're going to have fast 100, 200 and 400-meter guys. That is going to continue. The premise of our program is going to be the speed events."
About the women's program:
"The women are important, I have coached women for 20 years. We are going to do the women at the same level we're going to do the men. There is nobody in this program that isn't going to get touched."
"Everybody I've talked to has said that TCU should have an elite women's program and we have an elite men's program, so we're going to have an elite women's program as well."
About transition with the student-athletes:
"I am going to make sure the kids understand and make sure that they feel appreciated. The bottom line, as my mother always told me, you can't holler at and discipline somebody if they don't like you. The first step is to get next to them, talk to them and let them know that I care about more than them running around a circle. We're going to try and have well-rounded kids."
About the NCAA investigation:
"The one thing about the investigation, I have experience as far as that is concerned. When I walked into the situation at Arizona State as an assistant, we were under investigation, and we were on probation and had sanctions."
"We're going to be patient about dealing with them and we'll be patient about cultivating the kids about dealing with the sanctions. Anything beyond that, I can't control because I didn't have anything to do with it. I am just going to try and clean it up."
On wanting to do well in Texas:
"I want to get after the state. I want TCU to be the school in the state that people want to go to. I hear all the time people want to go to A&M and Texas, but I want them to come here. Being a private school, TCU has a lot of special things to offer. A private school degree can go a lot of places and that is what I am going to be pitching to the recruits."
On the coaching staff:
"I will not put a staff together not to satisfy anybody but me. Being an assistant as long as I have been, I understand that the assistant coach is going to have a lot to do with the success of the program. It is hard to get anybody to come to a school in November, so I have my work cut out for me. I know we're going to have some people interested in coming to TCU and we're going to pursue it."
On being able to work with the football team in recruiting:
"I feel confident that Coach Patterson and I can help each other. He has a kid on the team that can help us immediately. Otis McDaniel, the Texas State Champion in the 200, I know can help us."
"Objectively, I would like to think that the track team and track staff can help everybody because it is a team environment. That is one of the things I liked about it when I came in here and started this process."
