Northern Colorado Adds Three Assistant Coaches to Football Staff

Jan. 11, 2006

GREELEY, Colo. - University of Northern Colorado head football coach Scott Downing announced the hiring of three individuals who will serve as assistant coaches on his staff. Chad Brown, formerly at the University of Idaho, Cody Deti, formerly of Eastern Kentucky University, and Darrell Perkins, formerly of Charleston Southern University, will be a part of Downing's inaugural staff with the Bears.

Brown will assume the offensive coordinator duties, Deti will serve as the defensive coordinator and Perkins will have his specific coaching position responsibilities named in the near future. Each of the coaches has previous ties to Purdue, and two have ties to Wyoming, both schools that Downing has coached at previously.

"We are very excited to add three tremendous coaches to the staff," said Downing, who named the 15th head coach in Northern Colorado football history on Dec. 27. "Each of these coaches are tireless workers who relate well to student-athletes. They are tremendous communicators and motivators and we are exciting about the talents they bring to our staff."

Brown spent the past two seasons on Coach Nick Holt's staff at Idaho where he was the receivers coach as well as the Vandals recruiting coordinator. At Idaho he coached two of the top receivers in UI history, Bobby Bernal-Wood and D.J. Smith. Bernal-Wood capped his career in 2004 by setting the Idaho record for receptions in a single-season (96) and finished that year as the No. 2-ranked receiver in I-A football. In 2005, Smith earned All-Western Athletic Conference (WAC) honors after ranking second in the WAC and 12th nationally in receiving yards/game (100.1) and third in the WAC and 18th nationally in receptions/game (6.7). He set the UI record for receiving yards in a game (269) against UNLV during the 2005 season.

Prior to coaching at Idaho, Brown was a graduate assistant coach at Purdue University from 2002 to 2003, coaching alongside Downing during the 2002 season. With the Boilermakers, Brown coached the offensive line and special teams. He spent the 2000 and 2001 seasons at Dartmouth College, coaching tight ends and serving as an assistant recruiting coordinator. In 1998 and 1999, Brown was the receivers coach and recruiting coordinator at Washington and Jefferson College in Washington, Pa. Brown got his coaching start at his alma mater, Purdue, serving as an undergraduate assistant for receivers and quarterbacks in 1997.

Brown played wide receiver at Purdue from 1993-96 and received his bachelor's degree in sales and sales management in 1998. He earned his master's degree in geography and regional planning from California University of Pennsylvania in 2000.

Brown and his wife Jen have one daughter, Emily. He is a native of Lebanon, Ind.

"Chad brings a tremendous amount of enthusiasm," said Downing. "He is organized, detail-oriented and has experience with a variety of offense systems."

Deti (pronounced Dee-tie) joins the Northern Colorado staff after spending three seasons on Coach Danny Hope's staff at Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, Ky. At EKU, Deti coached the defensive secondary and helped the Colonels to a 7-4 overall record and 7-1 mark in the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) in 2005. Eastern Kentucky, who finished as the conference's runner-up, ranked second in the OVC in total defense (328.5 yards/game) and third in scoring defense (21.2 points/game allowed). Eastern compiled a 19-5 conference record in his three seasons in Richmond.

Prior to coaching at EKU, Deti spent three seasons at Princeton University. He joined the Tigers staff in 2000, serving as the co-secondary coach while also coaching outside linebackers. In 2001, he moved to the offensive side of the ball, coaching tight ends, and spent his final season at Princeton as the wide receivers coach. From 1997-99, Deti was a graduate assistant coach at Purdue, where he coached alongside Downing, and coached defensive backs and linebackers. In his time with the Boilermakers, the team made two appearances in the Alamo Bowl and a trip to the Outback Bowl.

Deti played defensive back at the University of Wyoming (1992-93), while Downing was the defensive coordinator for the Cowboys, before his career was cut short by an injury. He stayed active with the program by serving as a student assistant coach from 1994-96 and was part of the 1996 WAC Championship squad. Deti comes from a long line of football coaches, as his grandfather John was the head coach at Laramie High School for 33 years and his father, also named John, was head coach at Laramie High for 26 years.

Deti earned his bachelor's degree in health science from Wyoming in 1997 and his master's degree in history and philosophy of sport from Purdue in 1999.

"Cody is the typical son of a coach," said Downing. "He has paid his dues as a coach. He brings a wealth of knowledge to our program, as he has coached in the Big Ten, Ohio Valley, Ivy League and Western Athletic Conferences."

Perkins coached defensive backs during the past two seasons (2004 and 2005) at I-AA Charleston Southern on the staff of Coach Jay Mills. The Buccaneers finished the 2005 campaign with a 7-4 record, the program's first-ever winning record, and a 3-1 mark in the Big South Conference, which earned them a share of the conference championship. At CSU, he coached first-team All-Big South defensive back Tavares Shorter, who had 55 tackles, a pair of interceptions and seven pass breakups during the season.

Perkins spent the 2002 and 2003 seasons as the secondary coach and special teams coordinator at Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Mich. Prior to that, he was a graduate assistant coach at Purdue University from 2000-01, coaching alongside Downing. At Purdue, Perkins coached defensive backs and worked with the Boilermakers scout team. While in West Lafayette, Perkins was part of Purdue's first Rose Bowl appearance in 33 years, an appearance that followed the 2000 Big Ten Conference Championship.

Perkins played collegiate football at Wyoming (1986-89), where he was a two-year starter for the Cowboys under Coach Joe Tiller. As a running back, he helped the Cowboys to back-to-back WAC Championships and two appearances in the Holiday Bowl.

Perkins earned his bachelor's degree in business from Wyoming in 1990. After graduation, he worked in private business from 1990-96 and was also a varsity basketball coach at Legacy High School in Fort Collins, Colo. (1993-96) and an assistant varsity football coach at Gateway High School in Aurora, Colo. in 1998 and 1999.

A native of Denver, Perkins was a standout athlete at Gateway High, where he was an all-state selection on the gridiron, a team captain for the basketball team and an honorable mention All-American in track and field. Perkins is married to the former Elena Zbitskaya.

"Darrell brings in a lot of experience both as a player and a coach," said Downing. "Having grown up in Denver and played in Laramie, he has a great knowledge of the area. He has great organizational skills because of his experience as a coach and his endeavors in the business world."

From the former staff, Downing has retained Keith Grable to assist on the offensive side of the ball, as well as graduate assistants Ahmad Lowe and Jared Wallen. Downing indicated he will complete his coaching staff in the next few weeks.