SOUTH BEND — Three weeks after returning to the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals, former Notre Dame soccer defensive coordinator Al Golden collected a memorable parting reward on Thursday night time in Scorching Springs, Ark.
Named the 2024 winner of the Broyles Award as the highest assistant coach in school soccer, Golden mirrored fondly on his three seasons in South Bend, calling his time at Notre Dame “the best 1,000 days of my profession.”
Golden joins fellow defensive coordinator Bob Diaco (2012) as the one Notre Dame winners of the award since its inception in 1996. Golden was employed as Bengals defensive coordinator on Jan. 22, two days after the Irish misplaced 34-23 to Ohio State within the CFP nationwide championship.
Notre Dame, which received 13 straight video games and completed 14-2, led the nation in takeaways and completed tied for fourth in scoring protection (15.5 factors per recreation).
“(A)ll of that might not have occurred if it wasn’t for the gamers, the student-athletes,” Golden mentioned on the awards dinner. “Folks ask me on a regular basis on this age of transactional sports activities what it was like to teach at Notre Dame, and I’ll say this: It was the best 1,000 days of my profession to be related and to get up and coach these younger males each day.
“As a result of there’s a place in Northern Indiana the place younger males go that also assume it’s necessary to be nice locally, they nonetheless assume it’s necessary to be superior within the classroom, they nonetheless assume it’s necessary and very important to have a non secular element in your life. … I used to be simply blessed to be part of that for only a temporary second.”
Al Golden: To Notre Dame soccer protection, veteran coordinator is the ‘Godfather’
It was Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman, a 2020 Broyles Award finalist on the College of Cincinnati, who employed Golden as his Irish defensive successor in February 2022. Golden, 55, had spent the prior two seasons teaching linebackers for the Bengals, culminating in a Tremendous Bowl loss to the Rams.
“Thanks to teach Freeman for … not simply believing in me however to create and foster an atmosphere that allowed me to be the most effective that I could possibly be,” Golden mentioned, “that allowed the entire coaches on his workers to be the most effective that they may probably be. … Our defensive workers was superior.”
Former Rutgers coach Chris Ash, who spent the previous 4 seasons within the NFL, was employed Feb. 1 as Golden’s substitute.
The award is known as in honor of Corridor of Fame coach Frank Broyles, who coached Arkansas for 19 seasons, together with a nationwide championship in 1964. Broyles, who later spent eight seasons as lead school soccer analyst for ABC tv, died in 2017.
This yr’s different finalists had been Arizona State offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo and defensive coordinators Bryant Haines (Indiana), Tim Banks (Tennessee) and Pete Kwiatkowski (Texas).
Irish offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock was a finalist in 2023 at LSU. Different Notre Dame finalists have been offensive coordinator Chip Lengthy (2018) and defensive coordinator Kent Baer (2002).
Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame soccer for the South Bend Tribune and NDInsider.com. Comply with him on social media @MikeBerardino.
This text initially appeared on South Bend Tribune: Former Notre Dame coordinator Al Golden wins Broyles Award as prime assistant
