Former Aztec outfielder Faruq Darcuiel begins his first season as an assistant coach at San Diego State. As a member of the SDSU coaching staff, he will be responsible for tutoring the outfielders and hitters.
The 27-year-old Darcuiel is a native of Fresno, California where he attended Hoover High School where he earned letters in four sports: baseball, football, track and Basketball. As a baseball player, he was a three-time first-team All-Yosemite League selection and finished with a career batting average well over the .400 mark.
He began his collegiate career at Fresno State, playing one season there before transferring to Fresno City Community College. As a sophomore there, he led the team in hitting with a .360 average with six triples. 26 RBIs and 41 runs scored in 50 games. For his efforts he was named to the 1993 junior college all-state squad.
Prior to arriving at San Diego State in the fall of 1993, he played summer baseball under Jim Dietz with the Fairbanks Goldpanners of the Alaska League where he batted .321 with three triples and 18 stolen bases.
As the Aztecs? center fielder during the 1994 campaign, Darcuiel hit .368 with 42 runs scored in 37 games. In addition to an on-base percentage of .470, he was successful on 28 of his 30 stolen base attempts that season.
Upon completing his junior year at San Diego State, Darcuiel was selected by the Seattle Mariners in the 1994 pro draft. He played two seasons of professional ball (1994 and 1995) at Appleton in the Midwest League before knee problems ended his baseball career prematurely.
He returned to San Diego in 1996 and completed his bachelors degree in physical education at SDSU. He has been a physical education instructor at the San Diego Jewish Academy the past three years and is working on a masters degree in kineseology.
An avid bodybuilder, Darcuiel won a gold medal at the World Natural Body Building Championships last November, finishing first in the light heavyweight division in only his third competition. He has also been modeling the past two years and has appeared in Muscle Fitness, International Male and Eastbay Magazine.