Coach’s Corner is a weekly column where local coaches share practical advice, personal insights, and valuable lessons from the world of youth and high school sports. Whether you’re a coach looking to lead better, a parent supporting from the sidelines, or a player working to grow on and off the field, Coach’s Corner offers guidance, encouragement, and real-world experience to help you navigate the game—and life—with purpose.
Darrell Diamond – Track & Field Coach at Harford Technical High School
Coaching Background
Bio: Darell Diamond grew up in Hazelcrest, Illinois, went to Hillcrest H.S. Where he lettered in Track & Field. After graduating high school in 1981 he joined the US Army in the Ordnance Corp. Also, as a youth he loved to ride and race off-road motorcycles. And while in the service, he won an AMA national off-road championship and qualified for Reggie USA team for the 1994 International Six Day Enduro held in Tulsa, Oklahoma. After retiring from the Service in 2004 for Aberdeen Proving Ground Maryland. Darrell would join the Harford Tech track & field coaching staff in 2006. While at Tech he earned 2018 Baltimore Sun Coach of the Year for Outdoor and Baltimore Sun indoor track coach of the year in 2025. While at Tech he won (6) state titles.
Advice to Other Coaches
Always have good communication with other coaches in the school, this always helps with recruiting athletes for your program. We always ask other programs to send us any cut athletes. Remain humble, and grateful for the opportunities to coach your athletes.
Advice to Parents
Coaching youth sports is not easy and becomes harder if you don’t have support from team parents. Having supportive parents goes a long way to have a successful program.
Advice to Players
Your Coaches can’t teach desire, and they can’t want it more than the athletes. Be a student of your sport. What you do on your own is just an important as attending regular practice. Always focus on the basic fundamentals, it’s always better to do something slow and correct than fast and not correct. It’s always harder to correct someone if they have been doing the activity incorrectly.
Coaching Takeaway
The first thing about all sports is that they should be fun, but they also teach us sportsmanship, leadership, perseverance, sacrifice, and how to overcome and adapt. Winning is great but the other lessons are more important.