National Championships - 12
Conference Championships - 37
Record � 1189-180
Winning Pct - .864
Playoff Record � 45-30 .600
Bowl Record � 35-12 .745
TEAMS: Nebraska (Camp), Texas (Bryant), Notre Dame (Wilkinson), Humboldt St. (Leahy), Nebraska (Stagg), Slippery Rock (Heisman)
The Stats (crunkjuice)
National Championships - 4
Conference Championships - 15
Record � 289-30
Winning Pct - .906
Playoff Record � 44-10 .815
Bowl Record � 1-1 .500
Teams : Boston College (Bryant)
The Man
Rob: Let�s start off with a couple of really easy questions: Name? Age?
ddingo: David, 29
Rob: Where are you from/where do you live now?
ddingo: Originally from the Omaha area and I currently live in Huntsville, AL
Rob: Married, single, kids?
ddingo: Married with a beautiful daughter (she'll be 2 in March) with another on the way.
Rob: You have a daughter on the way. Congratulations!! When is the due date and do you have a name picked out?
ddingo: End of July ... and we're not sure if its a boy or girl
Rob: Do you plan on having any more children?
ddingo: Well I've already got a girl so if I have another girl, I'll have to decide if I'm willing to accept the risk of being in a household with 4 females for the next 15 or so years before I commit to having another child. ;)
Actually, I'm pretty sure we'll have three kids.
Rob: What do you do for work?
ddingo: Instructor / Training Developer for the Army Bomb Disposal School
Rob: Wow working for the Army at the Bomb disposal school. That seems like an interesting job? Did you get all your training from the Army?
ddingo: Yes. Its the job I originally enlisted for in the Army back in 1996.
Rob: I would imagine you have trained our servicemen that are over in Iraq now. It must be difficult watching the news at times when they talk about the road side bombs.
ddingo: The guys in my career field are responsible for the render safe of IED's so we're a pretty hot commodity in Iraq and Afghanistan. In fact, I may be deploying to Iraq again as early as May.
Rob: I am a huge fan of �24�. Do you find things they do on the show to be accurate or has anything you taught or dealt with in your line of work been depicted in the show?
ddingo: I think it was season 2 (maybe 3) when Jack was getting coached on how to render safe a biodispersal device and the guy on the phone was telling him what color wire to cut ... that's Hollywood.
Rob: Favorite activities or Hobbies?
ddingo: Playing with my daughter, watching college football, playing GD, following the college recruiting scene
Rob: What are some of your favorite movies/actors
ddingo: You know .. I'm not much of a movie person but I do like "24"
Rob: If you could insert yourself into a TV show what would it be?
ddingo: Pardon the Interruption. I'll sub in for Kornheiser or Wilbon .. doesn't matter.
Rob: Favorite food?
ddingo: A nice steak from Ruth's Chris.
Rob: Favorite sports figures?
ddingo: Tommie Frazier, Eric Crouch, Mike Minter, Mike Brown, Will Shields ... wow the list could go on and on. At the top of the list, I'd put Tom Osborne. Dr. Tom was a rare breed without question. While he was unquestionably one of the greatest coaches in any era, he was a better man than a coach .. and that's really saying something.
Rob: Favorite sports teams? Pro - College
ddingo: I like the St Louis Cardinals (MLB) and I love the Ravens defense (NFL) but that's just something to watch when the Huskers aren't playing.
Rob: How did you find out about the WIS website?
ddingo: I was TDY (temporary duty) at Fort Bragg over Christmas of 2004 and I was bored out of my mind (away from my wife and family). I was actively playing ESPN Classic Fantasy Baseball and I saw a few posts on their forums that talked about WIS and so I jumped over to take a look. When I read the stuff about GD .. I knew I had to give it a shot. Within 10 minutes, I called my brother and dragged him into the dark side.
Rob: How did you come up with your user name?
ddingo: When I was going through EOD School, one of the guys gave me the nickname Dave Dingo which was supposed to be a spinoff the name Mandingo. Its probably better if we end that part of the story right there.
Rob: Do you play any other WIS games? if yes, which ones?
ddingo: Yep. I coach the Colorado Scandal in HBD. We're great in the regular season but we put on our panties in the playoffs and can't seem to get it done. I also played HD for a few/several seasons but I couldn't keep up with it along with GD.
Rob: Do you have any other WIS IDs that you use? If so, how did you come up with the name?
ddingo: I also use the crunkjuice ID in Bryant. I originally planned on taking over the West Georgia (D2) program that I loved so much on my way "up the ranks" in Bryant.
Rob: How did you come up with the name crunkjuice?
ddingo: Listening to some music and I wanted to start another ID so I could get back to West Georgia (D2) - Bryant. I wanted it to be something a little off-the-wall.
Rob: I know you have many great accomplishments but do you have a favorite GD moments?
ddingo: Turning the Savannah State program in Stagg into a National Champ. I must have had a couple dozen sitemails with the other coaches in the conference (especially birdieparma) expressing my intense frustration with how long it was taking to get them competitive. Finally one season, it all clicked. We hadn't won a single playoff game to that point and we lost the CC but charged through the playoffs and took home the hardware.
Rob: Did you ever get to the point of frustration when you were trying to get Savannah St over the top and felt like just moving on? I know I was there at Stephen F. Austin in Wilkinson. Four straight seasons of watching Cal Poly and Northern Arizona dominate and I wasn�t getting close.
ddingo: Absolutely. The coaches in the Gateway - Stagg were outstanding and I knew that what I was doing should be working but I didn't have enough talent or depth and I kept losing so many close games. I think the most fun with Savannah State was winning a National Championship running nothing but I-Form and Pro-Set on offense.
Rob: Do you feel it is tougher to take a team in D1AA and take them to the Championship game over other levels?
ddingo: I honestly think winning a championship at any level requires a certain base level of talent. Once you get to a certain point .. everyone left has that same level of talent. I think in general the D-1AA coaches tend to be superior to the D2 and D3 coaches, so I suppose I'd be willing to agree that it is somewhat more difficult to win a championship as you move up each level. At the D-1 level, you'll normally find multiple coaches in the same conference with championship caliber talent. Then its just a matter of coaching (and homefield advantage).
Rob: How many worlds are you in? Do you have a favorite World or team?
ddingo: 6 worlds but seriously considering scaling back... Texas in Bryant, Notre Dame in Wilkinson, Nebraska in Camp and Stagg, Slippery Rock in Heisman, and Humboldt State in Leahy. I love my Huskers but recruiting from Lincoln in GD is a nightmare (as I'm sure the other Nebraska GD coaches will attest to). I'm much more intense about the D-1 teams .. Slippery Rock and Humboldt State give me a chance to continue experimenting and finetuning my recruiting tactics.
Rob: What do look for when applying for new teams?
ddingo: It depends. I'm a BIG defense guy so I prefer to see solid depth on the DLine. I think I'm a pretty good recruiter so I don't key on any one particular area but one or two great running backs can really carry a team. As a general rule, I'm not very patient and I love D-1 so I've generally avoided the lower level rebuilders (with a few exceptions).
Rob: Do look to run all their teams the same way, or do you run each one differently?
ddingo: Nope ... on the contrary. I love to mix it up based on my personnel and what other contenders in the conference are doing.
Rob: You mentioned you like mixing your teams up. Do you build your teams geared to the teams within the conference. You mentioned Iowa St. and JT's all out passing attack. DBs are obviously a little more important in this case.
ddingo: To win the National Championship, you have to win your conference. So to that end, I do gear my teams toward winning the conference. If I can win the conference, I'll take my chances with the bowl match up (or playoffs for that matter).
I prefer to give myself a little more flexibility on the defensive side of the ball. I've been trying to sacrifice a few skill position players in an effort to keep an extra couple of defensive players.
Rob: Any tips on recruiting?
ddingo: Be flexible. I'm not a big "recruiting list" guy. Some seasons I'll focus my scope on a few key players and pick up some scraps once other guys are finished and some seasons I'll send out a shotgun blast and see what happens before I proceed. There's no "right way" to recruit.
Rob: When you are recruiting. Will you go for need over Best available player or if you see that stud out there that is just to good to pass up you go after him and neglect a need?
ddingo: I'll typically adjust my gameplans and strategies to incorporate the best available player. I've used every set extensively on both sides of the ball so I don't mind signing 5 WR's in a single class or none. I'll adjust my plan of attack but there's no substitute for great players. I don't adhere to any particular number of players for each position.
Rob: How about advanced settings tips?
ddingo: Use your advanced depth charts. I really think this separates the good coaches from the great coaches (much more than the actual gameplanning). If the player is on the field, he's getting tired. Adjust your formations accordingly.
Rob: Tips on practice time?
ddingo: For a rebuilder or a lower-talent team, I'd go with 50-60 minutes of team practice. For a contender, I'd go with 90-100 minutes of team practice (AT THE D-1 LEVEL). Contenders at the D-1 level have players that are not going to see major growth over their 4 seasons .. its not uncommon to see a D2 lineman gain 15 (or more) points in strength over his time. You simply aren't going to get that kind of development when a guy arrives on campus with a 90 strength. Adjust your practices accordingly.
Rob: Aggressiveness settings?
ddingo: I tend to be a defense-oriented conservative guy. Generally speaking, I don't like to force the big play on either side of the ball. If I've got superior athletes, I like to give them a chance to do their thing (bend but don't break).
On offense, scoring points is a mini-game. You've just gotta gain 10 yards and you have 3 plays to do it. If you win that mini-game enough times ... you score points. You don't get extra credit if you win the mini-game in less than three plays ... as a general rule I don't like the risk vs. reward ratio playing aggressive on offense.
Rob: What teams in your opinion are the most successful on offense...All pass, all run, or balanced. Why?
ddingo: At the lower levels, a great offense can impose itself on almost every opponent regardless of whether they do it in the air or on the ground. At the D-1 level, I think for sustained success you have to be able to exploit the weaknesses you see in the opposing defense.
Rob: Do you find it tougher to play against a team that passes all the time, Runs all the time, or just mixes it up.
ddingo: Any team that is completely committed to the pass or the run can give you fits. On defense, you've gotta play with the hand you've been dealt. 8 DB's might seem like alot until you are facing a all-pass onslaught ... no need to elaborate.
Rob: Does Defense really matter or is it just about Offense?
ddingo: Are you kidding me? I just had the privilege of playing andynomore's Tennessee team in the Sugar Bowl (Stagg). Neither team mustered over 300 yards offense. Both teams were averaging over 400 yards per game on the ground alone. At the end of the game, the leading rusher for Nebraska had 61 yards on 15 carries. Tennessee's top back had 20 carries for 60 yards.
Yes .. defense REALLY matters.
Rob: What is the most important position on a team?
ddingo: Most coaches like to run so I think the DL is the most important but a lockdown corner (preferably two) is a close second.
Rob: You believe DL may be the most important position. How important is it to land the 90/90 guys in D1A or are the 80/80 guys with better secondary skills the better way to go?
ddingo: I think you can have a blend. I like the 90/90 guy if I need immediate run support help but I'm always happy with a 80/80 guy with strong work ethic and potential.
Rob: Do you feel the game is changing and have you had to alter the way you play the game?
ddingo: The game continually changes because the players change. Everyone is learning ... the parity grows each season at the D-1 level. That's where I really have found the most enjoyment. I wouldn't say I've altered the way I play .. changing my styles in GD to adapt has always been standard operating procedure for me.
Rob: I consider you one of the top coaches and you have given me some sound advice. Has anyone given you some new or interesting advice concerning the game recently that you have adapted into your game?
ddingo: Not advice so much as analyzing what other successful coaches are doing. I'll try to objectively look at a big game and examine the tendencies of each coach and I'll kinda figure out what I think the eventual outcome will be but then I'll throw myself into their shoes and think about what I would do in their position.
Rob: One coach that you would want to coach your team in a Championship game?
ddingo: Deandg. Best. Gameplanner. Ever.
Rob: One coach you find most difficult to coach against?
ddingo: jtrover55's Iowa State team in Bryant. Any team willing to throw the ball anytime, anywhere, any situation can give you fits.
Rob: Favorite Level that you have played at?
ddingo: Unquestionably D-1 (but D-1 isn't geniunely great until you've got lots of coaches).
Rob: Should the NCAA go to a Playoff in D1A?
ddingo: I'd be in favor of a 16-team tournament so long as the non-tournament teams still had a chance to go to a bowl. Bowl games are a huge reward for the players. Playoffs are more like a business. I'd also like to see the first round played at the higher seeded team's home field. Nebraska won the 1994 NC beating Miami in the Orange Bowl ... let's give the teams from the southeast a chance to play ball in December in Ann Arbor, Lincoln, Columbus, etc. That would be GREAT!
Rob: Should WIS convert or create a world that has a D1A playoff system?
ddingo: I'm a big fan of the current system. I like having 4 or 5 days to throughly scout my opponent. Generally neither team has significant injury issues to deal with ... you get a game with no excuses. Neutral field, no injuries, lots of time to prep.
Rob: Should WIS get rid of the firing system or does it just need to fine tune it?
ddingo: Firings are essential. I've seen good coaches get fired but they'll take another job and climb back up where they belong. I've seen pisspoor coaches that grabbed a great D3 team in Season 1 and climbed the ladder as a "pioneer" and once D-1 starts to fill ... they fall on their face and the previous success really looks like a SIMAI-induced fluke. Those guys need to go. Elite teams don't have to settle for 10-4 seasons. They should have one of the top coaches in each world. Top coaches should NOT continually go 10-4 or 9-5.
I think the recent tweak to non-elite BCS's was good. It might need additional finetuning but I think it works for now especially when most BCS conferences only have 7 or 8 human coaches.
Rob: Do you have one or two major changes you would like to see?
ddingo: Homefield advantage is too strong. I think the data WIS used is skewed by the fact that virtually every powerhouse D-1 program plays a small handful of weaker non-conference opponents each season. That's necessarily going to skew the home winning percentage but it is NOT a product of homefield advantage.
Incoming coaches into a conference should get the postseason money earned by the rest of the conference members.
Rob: Does WIS need to make a better commitment to filling D1A with humans and do you have any suggestions?
ddingo: I think they need to improve the marketing of the game to attract new players but they also need to improve communication between the development team and the players.
I'd also like to see the initials (or some identification) for the people who respond to tickets. I've sent in tickets and been told contradictory information or given incorrect information before. But that's a separate issue I suppose.
Rob: How about the greatest coach competiton that alykarmazov ran? Do you feel it was pretty accurate? How do you feel that you faired and were there any major upsets?
ddingo: Carpe is a great coach. I'm just happy to say I've played against almost everyone of the coaches that were listed. The great thing about GD is that the guys we'll all be talking about in 6 months are reading the forums and learning GD. They'll be the next wave of the "greatest coaches in GD". I lost to jeffkahleb and I have no issue. Jeff is one of the elite coaches in GD.
I think deandg would have made some serious damage but I don't recall him in the tournament. Dean is also an elite coach that I always love to compete against .. win or lose.
Thanks again,
Rob
