Approaching his second season rebuilding the football program at Duke University, as its 23rd head coach, Manny Diaz is building a clear philosophy. Lessons from life in the past and teachings from failure are promoting a resilient, competitive culture and forging an identity of toughness.
Manny Diaz Builds Tough Identity at Duke, Inspired by Pete Carroll and Lessons From Texas
In a recent “Next Up” interview with Adam Breneman, Diaz spoke about the influence of the former University of Southern California coach Pete Carroll on his own coaching philosophy. The current Raiders head coach is renowned for his extraordinary energy levels, competitive spirit, and building a player-led culture, all qualities the Duke head coach embraces.
Diaz was fired by the University of Texas after his defensive unit conceded a school record 550 yards rushing in a loss to Brigham Young University. In hindsight, Diaz adds that it was “one of the best moments for me” as a pivotal moment in the rise of his career. “It forced you to really come to terms with what you believe in,” he adds, philosophically, that you have to think about “who you were, what you could tolerate and what you can’t tolerate.”
Diaz read Carroll’s book at that time, noting he had been fired twice in the NFL before his impressive tenure at USC, and took some valuable inspiration from his reading: “If you have a chance to get back in the saddle again and do it, this is the way it would have to get done.”
Forging An Identity of Toughness From Failure
There’s also a wider lesson in Diaz’s evolution: the value of failure as fuel. Rather than avoid the topic, he embraces it. Talking about overcoming adversity and instilling toughness in his players, he suggests: “You almost at times have to hunt failure. It’s gonna come. Failure teaches you.” He adds, embracing the learning from loss as well as success: “You just don’t learn from winning the way you learn from the losses.”
Diaz notes the drive of student-athletes to come to this prestigious university and the characteristics of hard work, sacrifice, and discipline needed to achieve this. He wants these characteristics in his players.
Bringing Carroll’s positive energy, hard-learned experience from his spell with Texas, and lessons from failure, Diaz is crafting something specific to Duke—a program that can outlast and outperform. He has worked hard to build a culture of integrity in which the values he desires are prevalent: “toughness, passion, and competitive excellence.” This, he feels, builds the fifth element, trust, “which is the foundation of every great team.”
Referring to Bobby Bowden’s great mid-nineties teams at Florida State, the university where he began his coaching career as a graduate assistant, Diaz explains: “The players want to know you can take them somewhere they can’t go on their own. You see something in them they don’t even see themselves, and you’ll do whatever it takes to get it out of them.”
Succeeding 2022 ACC Coach of the Year Mike Elko, Diaz led Duke to a 9-4 record in his first season in Durham, racing to a 5-0 start and sweeping in-state rivals North Carolina, North Carolina State, and Wake Forest before succumbing to Ole Miss in the Gator Bowl. He is optimistic about building on a promising first year to a strong, sustainable, and successful football program.
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“I think Duke is poised to be a contender every year. I think you can win here, I think you can sustain it and I think a player should come here, not just for the world-class education and the life after football piece, they should believe they can compete for championships.”
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