USD football coach Dale Lindsey, 80, retires; is Toreros’ all-time wins leader

Dale Lindsey, an NFL veteran who found a second life as USD’s football coach, is retiring from his position with the Toreros.

USD made the announcement Tuesday evening. Lindsey leaves as the winningest football coach in program history; his 72.7 percent winning mark is the fourth-highest in the history of Division I FCS (formerly Division I-AA).

At 80, Lindsey was the NCAA’s oldest Division I head football coach. He was 22 days shy of 70 when the university announced his hiring in December 2012. Outside of two years as a high school head coach, it was Lindsey’s first head coaching job. He had been an assistant for 35 years — 20 in the NFL, five in the Canadian Football League, three in the USFL, one in the World Football League and six years in college.

Lindsey went 80-30 at USD, posting a 68-9 record in Pioneer League play.

“Coach Lindsey is leaving an incredible legacy at the University of San Diego,” USD athletic director Bill McGillis said in a news release sent Tuesday night. USD has not named a replacement. As recently as Feb. 27, Lindsey talked about his team’s progress in spring drills.

“Beyond the extraordinary level of championship success our program has achieved under his leadership, Coach Lindsey established a standard of excellence for the young men in our program, and the lessons they’ve learned from him will last a lifetime,” McGillis said.

“The numbers speak for themselves, but they don’t even begin to tell the story of the impact he’s made at USD. His emphasis on — and commitment to — the value of a college education has been the true hallmark of his leadership from Day 1. He will retire from USD as one of the greatest head coaches in our university’s history and one of the elite head coaches in college football. Tremendous man. Tremendous coach. Tremendous leader. Coach Lindsey led our program with great integrity, and he has built a model program in every sense of the word. His presence and leadership have been a gift to our scholar-athletes, alumni, coaches and community. We have been blessed.”

Dale Lindsey, a longtime NFL player and coach, is retiring as USD’s coach.

(David Frerker / USD athletics )

Before coaching at USD, first as a defensive coordinator and then as the head coach, Lindsey worked for seven different NFL teams. He served as the then-San Diego Chargers’ linebackers coach from 1992-96 and as the team’s defensive coordinator from 2002-03. He was on the Chargers’ staff when they played in the only Super Bowl in San Diego sports history.

As he turned 80 in January, Lindsey told the Union-Tribune he had no plans to slow down — though he was aware of his advancing age.

“It’s just a number. However, it’s an old number,” he said. “I’m thinking, ‘Son of a (gun), I’m 80 years old. I’m going to be sitting somewhere, being pushed by some nurse.’

“Hell, I never thought I’d live to be 80. I never thought much about age until this year. You’re 80. You’re old. You’re only 20 years from 100. I’m very lucky that I’m healthy.”

His wife, Eva, called Dale’s position at USD “the best job he’s ever had.”

“First of all, he became a head coach,” she said. “I think, for him, it’s personal satisfaction (knowing) he is capable of putting together a winning program.”

Compiled in part from a news release.