Darrell Ballard Position: Offensive Graduate Assistant

Darrell Ballard returned to his alma mater in January 2009 and begins his third season as a graduate assistant for the CSU football team, his eighth overall at the school.

Ballard, 36, spends most of his time on the offensive side of the ball, working mostly with running backs, as well as recruiting and other tasks. In 2009, he worked primarily with wide receivers, including the final three games as their only position coach. During the three seasons prior to coming back to CSU, he coached wide receivers at Colony High School in Ontario, Calif., a team that won CIF championships in 2006 and 2007.

After earning all-conference honors as a wide receiver and defensive back at Chaffey High School in Ontario, Ballard was part of Sonny Lubick's first recruiting class in 1993. He played on CSU teams that won three WAC championships and went to three Holiday Bowls. The highlight of his college career was the Rams' 1994 upset at No. 6 Arizona.

Born May 18, 1975, in Fontana, Calif., Ballard has a daughter, Jordyn, and makes his home in Longmont, Colo. His father, Greg, was the fourth overall selection by the Washington Bullets in the 1977 NBA Draft and won a world championship with the team a year later. He most recently coached for the Atlanta Hawks.

Ballard owns a bachelor's degree in liberal arts from CSU and a master's degree in business and technical management from the University of Phoenix. He's currently working toward a master's in educational leadership.