George Darlington, the longest-serving assistant coach in Nebraska football history and a three-time national championship winner, has died at the age of 87. His tenure spanned 30 years with the Cornhuskers.
Darlington's long tenure and consistent presence on championship-winning teams mark him as a significant figure in the history of one of college football's most storied programs.
George Darlington, who served as an assistant coach for the Nebraska Cornhuskers for 30 years and was part of three national championship teams, died Sunday at the age of 87. The Nebraska athletic department announced his death without specifying a cause. Darlington was a fixture at practices and games despite declining health in recent years. He coached from 1973 to 2002, initially as the defensive ends coach for 13 seasons before transitioning to defensive backs coach in 1986. During his tenure, the Cornhuskers compiled a record of 304-65-3 and secured national titles in 1994, 1995, and 1997. Darlington was the only assistant coach to have been on staff for Tom Osborne's entire 25-year tenure as head coach. He also worked under Osborne's successor, Frank Solich, for five years. Darlington's coaching career began after playing college football at Rutgers and earning degrees at Stanford. He had previously been an assistant at San Jose State when Osborne hired him. His earlier coaching roles included stints at Marshall, Louisiana Tech, Southeast Missouri State, and San Diego before his retirement in 2010.