Jan. 21, 2005
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State head football coach Tom Craft has announced that former Aztec assistant LeCharls McDaniel is returning to the SDSU football program to coach running backs.
"It will be great to have LeCharls back at San Diego State," Craft said. "He will be a great addition to a very fine coaching staff."
McDaniel spent the past two seasons on Mike Riley's staff at Oregon State. He has served on the San Diego State football staff on two other occasions. From 1994 to 1996, McDaniel coached the special teams and secondary at SDSU. In 2002, he was the receivers and special teams coach during Tom Craft's first season on Montezuma Mesa. That season saw Aztec wideouts J.R. Tolver and Kassim Osgood set NCAA single-season records for receptions and receiving yards by two teammates.
Prior to 2002, McDaniel was on the staff at California. His background includes coaching experience in the National Football League as well as the Division I level.
He began his coaching career at Hartnell College in Salinas before joining the San Diego Chargers in 1989 as assistant special teams coach. He remained with the Chargers until he returned to his alma mater, Cal Poly, as special teams and secondary coach in 1992.
McDaniel left San Luis Obispo for a return to the NFL as receivers coach with the Cardinals. In 1994, he joined Ted Tollner's staff at San Diego State before returning to the pro ranks as a scout for the Philadelphia Eagles.
McDaniel has also served as a coach and administrator with the Washington Redskins.
As a player, he was on a Division II national championship team at Cal Poly and spent four years in the NFL with the Giants and Redskins, where he was part of a Super Bowl championship team.
McDaniel and his wife, Sheryl, have three children.
He replaces Brent Brennan, who joined the Aztecs briefly before joining Dick Tomey's staff at San Jose State. Brennan had worked for Tomey at Arizona early in his coaching career.