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Bio

Joey Didier is entering his 13^th season coaching for the cougars, his first as the Assistant Head Coach after spending the past ten seasons in various roles while coordinating the defense.

Didier is no stranger to success as he has been a part of teams that have earned 11 conference championships, a state runner-up finish, six final four appearances, a national runner up finish and two national championships. In 2016 Didier earned FootballScoop.com NAIA coordinator of the year. http://footballscoop.com/news/joey-didier-eric-wagoner-2016-footballscoop-naia-coordinators-year/

Joey Didier began his coaching career at Homestead High School in 2005 as an assistant working with Running Backs, Linebackers and coordinating the defense.  Didier returned to his alma mater in 2010 and served as Linebackers coach for the 2010-2012 seasons. In the spring of 2013 Didier was promoted to co-coordinate the cougar defense and the rest is history.

Under Didier’s guidance the USF defense became one of the elite units in NAIA football. During his tenure coordinating for the cougars, the USF defensive unit had 68 players receive all conference honors, with 33 earning 1^st team accolades and seven AFCA NAIA all-Americans. The 2015 cougar defense, en route to a NAIA FCS final four appearance, tied an all-time NAIA record for interceptions returned for a touchdown with 7. The 2016 unit, which earned the 1^st NAIA national championship for the cougars, set a school record for sacks in season with 46 and was headlined by Mid-States Football association defensive player of the year, Lucas Sparks.

The 2017 version was no slouch, leading the MSFA in nearly every category. (Scoring Defense, Total Defense, Rush Defense, Pass Defense Efficiency, Interceptions, Third Down Defense and Red Zone Defense). Nationally, the USF defense ranked in the top 5 in Scoring Defense, Rushing Defense and Third Down Defense. This defensive unit shined brightest in the NAIA championship game, holding the vaunted Reinhardt University offensive attack to their lowest scoring total in program history. Piercen Harnish, the Cougars’ AFCA All-American Linebacker also earned Victory Sports Network national player of the year honors. In 2018, the Cougars’ defense was rated as the #1 unit in the country by Massey ratings.

Didier is involved with many associations in the profession, serving on committees within the American Football Coaches Association, having previously served on the board of advisors for XandOlabs.co and as an advisor for telemetry sports. He has also been active in numerous speaking roles for the Indiana Football Coaches Association and Glazier Football Clinics.

Didier, the Cougars’ 2004 Silver Helmet Award winner, was a four-time letter-winner while playing inside linebacker for the Cougars. Didier was the USF NAIA Champions of Character selection in 2004. He graduated from USF in 2006 with B.S. in Business Administration with concentrations in Sports Management and Finance.  Didier also earned his M.B.A. from USF in 2013.

Didier and his wife, Ashley, reside in Fort Wayne with their son Aiden.