Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
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36 ✦ BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2015 FOOTBALL PREVIEW to having his name on a position group and recruiting on the road. "I said I want to be put in a position where somebody was going to mentor me, to bring me along and teach me how to be the defen- sive coordinator for the future," Lyght said. "I think Coach VanGorder with his extensive knowledge of football can be a great teacher for me. I'm learning every day, too, so I look at this as a great experience for me not only as a secondary coach, but as a future defen- sive coordinator down the line." Brian Kelly has no doubts about Lyght's ability to command the respect of players or be effective on the recruiting trail. "Once you have the ability to stand in front of the room and command the respect of the group that you have, then that takes away the inexperience portion of your ré- sumé because you gain that," Kelly said. "You gain that comfort level through time. "He had that right away. I think that goes to his long experience in the NFL, the confi- dence that he has in his own ability to com- municate. He's not used to not being success- ful. You can tell when he walks into the room that immediately he has that. It makes up for any shortness that he may have in a résumé." Lyght first endowed a scholarship at Notre Dame in the spring of '92 and has seen 15 different students benefit from it. He also created a series of scholarships at Luke Pow- ers Catholic High in Flint and St. Mary's El- ementary School in Alexandria, Va. In 1995, Lyght donated substantially to the United Negro College Fund as part of the NFL's Golden Circle program. "Along the way so many people have been instrumental in my success," said Lyght, whose recruiting territories are Louisiana, Houston, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, Oregon and Washington, plus any- where in California that has a top defensive back with grades. "Having an opportunity at private schools and great mentors, it was a decision to give back and help out the next generation." This will now include the next generation of Notre Dame defensive backs. Denson's Coaching Ministry While becoming Notre Dame's all-time leading rushing during his career with the Fighting Irish from 1995-98, Denson also extended his energy into the community. Five days a week during the summer he was a volunteer for the National Youth Sports Program, serving as a counselor and mentor for kids ages 9 to 16 while preaching against substance abuse. Later, he also was involved with tutoring. At the time, Denson already was planting the seeds for what he now describes as his coaching ministry. After a professional football career and several years with Merrill Lynch, Denson formed a youth program called POISE, an acronym for Perseverance, Opportunity, In- telligence, Sacrifice and Effort. The program helped several hundred teenage student-ath- letes with everything from Bible study to on- the-field development. It morphed into his approach to football in 2010 when he took the head job for one year at Pope John Paul II High School in Boca Raton, Fla. "The game has been good to me," Denson said. "I've been blessed to have so many suc- cesses, and I've learned so many life lessons from the game of football that it was a natu- ral transition to feel obligated or responsible to give back to the same game that gave so much to me." Head coach Brian Kelly (left) admitted that he was originally skeptical about the possibility of hiring Denson (center) and Lyght (right) due to their lack of experi‑ ence in the coaching profession, but he became a believer after both impressed him during their respective interviews. PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND