Darrell Ivan Hazell (born April 14, 1964) is a former American football coach. Hazell has been a head coach twice, with Kent State from 2011 to 2012, and Purdue from 2013 to 2016.
A native of Cinnaminson Township, New Jersey, Hazell graduated in 1982 from Cinnaminson High School where he played football and ran track and then attended Muskingum University starting in the fall of 1982. He played on the football team as a starter for his final three years at the school. Hazell graduated in 1986.
He held assistant coaching positions at Oberlin, Eastern Illinois, Penn, Western Michigan, Army, West Virginia, and Rutgers. Hazell then served as the wide receivers coach at Ohio State under Jim Tressel from 2004 to 2010. In December 2010, Kent State hired him as its head coach. On November 28, 2012, Hazell was named 2012 Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year by the conference's coaches.
On December 5, 2012, Purdue named Hazell their new head coach, replacing Danny Hope. Hazell holds the lowest win percentage for a multiple-season coach in the program's history.
Early life
Hazell attended Cinnaminson High School in Cinnaminson Township, New Jersey. A 1982 graduate, Hazell was a member of both the football and track & field teams.
College career
At age 17, Hazell was unsure of his college intentions when he attended a college fair in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Hazell was approached by a man who insisted he consider a small school in Ohio, so Hazell found the closest booth of a small Ohio college and filled out an information card. Three weeks later, Hazell received a phone call from Muskingum University head coach, Jeff Heacock, asking Hazell to come on a recruiting visit. Hazell agreed to take a visit, also scheduling a visit with Waynesburg College the same weekend. In four hours, Hazell fell in love with, and ultimately chose Muskingum. When Hazell enrolled at Muskingum in the fall of 1982, he lettered as a wide receiver. Hazell had a breakout sophomore season in 1983, hauling in season records of 805 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns. His stellar performance earned him his first All-Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) honor. Hazell would go on to earn a letter each season for the Muskies as a member of the football team. As a junior in 1984, Hazell earned All-OAC honors again helping the team tie a school record 9 wins in a single season. As a senior during the 1985 season Hazell served as a team captain, on his way to earning All-OAC honors as well as Division III Honorable Mention All-American honors by Pizza Hut. Hazell also participated as a sprinter on the track team, where he was a multi-year letter winner. Hazell's 132 receptions and 1,966 receiving yards stood as Muskies career records until James Washington broke both records in 2013.
Hazell was inducted into the Muskingum University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1993.
Coaching career
Early coaching career
Hazell began his coaching career as the running backs coach under head coach Don Hunsinger, at Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio. Hazell spent two seasons at Oberlin before accepting the position of running backs and wide receivers coach at Eastern Illinois University in 1988. While at Eastern Illinois, Hazell worked under former Purdue starting quarterback Bob Spoo, who was in his second year with the program. The following year however, Hazell returned to Oberlin where he was given the opportunity to become the offensive coordinator. After leaving Oberlin for a three-year stint at Penn, Hazell returned to the D-I ranks where he spent two years as WR coach at Western Michigan University under Hall of Fame Coach Al Molde. In 2001, Hazell accepted the wide receivers coach position at Rutgers University under new head coach, Greg Schiano.
Ohio State
In 2004, Hazell accepted the wide receivers coach position at Ohio State University. Under head coach Jim Tressel, Hazell earned Tressel's trust and was promoted to Assistant Head Coach in addition to his wide receiver duties in 2005. Hazell would remain with Ohio State until 2010.