Riley and Diaco Meet the Media

Mike Riley met with the media Friday afternoon to introduce Bob Diaco as Nebraska’s new defensive coordinator. After Riley issued a few opening comments, Diaco met with Nebraska’s media contingent for the first time.

Diaco discussed his respect for Nebraska’s football tradition and is honored to have the opportunity to lead the Blackshirts. Diaco also mentioned that it is a privilege to work under Coach Riley, a man he respected in the coaching profession for quite some time. Historically Diaco’s defensive unit has played a 3-4 defense and he described the advantages of running that scheme.

A few quotes from today's press conference can be found below. Video of the entire press conference is also available on this page in the related links area.

Head Coach Mike Riley

"Thank you all for coming. It is good to see you. We have had some news as of late that we thought was important to get out here with you. I just got back off the road just about an hour and a half ago and I am glad to be back. We have a big recruiting weekend but the obvious fact is we have a new hire that we wanted you to meet and be able to visit with. We are excited about that. I’ll step back a minute and talk about Mark [Banker]. Mark and I were together a long time and I can’t tell you how appreciative I am of that relationship and that time together. He has coached and mentored literally thousands of our players and did a great job. We got to the point through looking at it over a long period of time that change was needed. Change in a couple of ways, probably productivity-wise as I looked at it and then schematically a change. I had been thinking about that a long time, maybe I have mentioned it to some of you before. I grew up in the 3-4 so I have always been intrigued by it. We have to play against it. I actually think that will be a great benefit to our offense to get to practice against it more often as we go forward. I know that it has been talked about, about the manner in which it was done and I can appreciate that, and I don’t really like it. I think that without going into all the logistics the best way to say it is that we ran into a timeline that I had a hard time dealing with getting done what we wanted to do and then being able to tell Mark. I don’t like how that had to take place. So that is it in a nutshell. We are excited about Bob [Diaco]. I think that his past is well-documented as a football coach. He has been a defensive coordinator at a high level. We can all look at his résumé and of course I did, and his record as a defensive coach. I actually coached against him one time when we were on the field together at Oregon State and he was at Cincinnati. So I have seen the defense, seen the production. This is a pretty obvious statement but I really had a lot of fun visiting with him when he was here, talking about and listening to him talk about football. His system philosophically some of the parts about how you play the game, I just had a lot of fun. I think he’s a teacher and very motivating to listen to just as a coach there with him. So coupled with his history as a coach and that interview, it was pretty much a no-brainer for me. We did it fast and I am glad we did because I think it was important for his timing too. I think he will be a great benefit to me. He has been a head coach. I love those guys that have that kind of experience and have had to sit there and put practice plans together and deal with the dynamics of the whole team. I think that experience will be helpful to our program in general and to all of our coaches and to me specifically. We will together over the next couple of weeks be gathering names for that last position on the staff. I would maybe say that I would rather not get too much into the interviewing part of it in the next time leading up to signing day. We have got a great weekend this weekend planned for our recruits that are in. We have got a big week of [going] out there visiting them again next week. We will have some in for a final weekend of visits, so we have got to do this next job a lot of justice by taking the time with it. But we can gather the names and do some research as we are finishing up our recruiting.”

Defensive Coordinator Bob Diaco

Opening Statement
“Start off by saying thank you to Coach Riley for the opportunity, I see it that way. Thank you to Mr. Eichorst, Shawn, he’s been wonderful through the process. All the people at the university, it’s an absolute first class operation, very efficient, smooth, and seamless transition I’ve ever made. As you’re coming up in this business, you end up at a few universities so you get a chance to spend time with them on a human resources end. Everyone should be proud of everyone here and the family that has been created by the leadership on down. It’s truly a family environment in this building, that’s been one of the most shocking things to me in a very, very warm excellent way. I feel so welcomed and I’m very excited about that. On a football end, it’s a spectacular honor to be entrusted with this responsibility. To be in this role, to have the opportunity to lead the Blackshirt defense is an awesome responsibility, one that I am incredibly excited about. I’m ready for the work and really can’t wait to get to it full speed with the unit, the staff, and all the essential staff that would surround it. I understand the tradition. I understand the Midwest. Having played in the Big Ten, I understand the Big Ten. I understand playing defense in the Big Ten, although it was some time ago. The state of Nebraska, I have a pretty good perspective of the type of culture that the football team and specially we’re talking about the defense, so the people of the state, the university, and the department, want to look at that defense and feel like their looking in a mirror. The Blackshirt defense, to me, the epitomized that. There has been perfect alignment when it’s being done properly with the state, the university, and that defense. That’s how I see it and to lead that unit with great humility is so exciting and what an incredible honor and I can’t wait to get to it.”

On his emotions about his transition
“Obviously, it’s the silly season, that’s what the coaches call it, the silly season. A race starts with how I can get upstairs to my children before they read it. There’s a lot of interpersonal stuff that happens with family, children, wives, husbands, and what not as it relates that silly season, in all sports. So there’s that mechanic. Professionally, I felt very, very good about having an opportunity to coach defensive football and to lead a defense and coordinate a defense at a high level. I love doing that. If there was any liability or issue with being a head coach, it was being pulled away from the thing that you love the most which is teaching and building an intimate relationship with either the unit or a position because that bond is so special and fun to do and cultivate and grow. The ability to teach was something that I was immediately excited about, having that opportunity so there was a little bit of anxiousness but also some excitement about the future.”