Strong values at core of coach's philosophy

HOUSTON -- Texas cornerback Quandre Diggs knew Charlie Strong before Strong became the Longhorns' head coach in January.

Strong, originally from Batesville, was Florida's defensive coordinator when he recruited Diggs out of Angleton, Texas.

"I was excited when he got the job here, because at one point in time I wanted to be a Florida Gator and go play for him," Diggs said. "He's one of the reasons I came back to Texas for my senior year."

Diggs decided to stay close to home and play for Texas while Strong, 54, left Florida in 2010 to become Louisville's coach.

A 23-3 record in Strong's last two seasons with the Cardinals helped him land the job at Texas, which he has led to a 6-6 record and a Texas Bowl berth against Arkansas tonight.

Diggs said being a head coach hasn't altered Strong's personality, that he's the same guy who recruited him several years ago.

"He's not going to change for anybody," Diggs said. "He believes in hard work, he has his core values, and that's what he stands for as a man.

"He's done a lot for Texas already."

Strong dismissed nine players before he coached his first game at Texas, the most of any coach this season according to CBSSports.com.

"Coach Strong is a very strong-willed person, and if you're not doing something to better your life, he's going to let you know and he's going to try to help you," Texas senior linebacker Jordan Hicks said. "Him kicking people off the team, they made that decision themselves. He just had to enforce it.

"Under the circumstances, the way he's handled himself and handled this team has been absolutely unbelievable."

Strong said he wished he never had to dismiss a player, that his goal is to help develop young men into good people and players, but sometimes difficult decisions have to be made.

"I tell the players all the time, the only thing I can do is just enforce the decision you just made," said Strong, who played safety at the University of Central Arkansas. "I'm just making sure this doesn't continue on within our program. That's why I always talk about our senior class.

"They've done a great job of being able to manage it. I know there was a lot of adversity in the beginning and so much was being said, but we have a team and the team believes in the coaching staff.

"If they believe what you're doing is right, then you get everyone in a circle together. That's what this team did."

Diggs said the players know Strong's decisions are making the program better.

"I think he's done a fantastic job," Diggs said. "We believe in everything he does."

Strong replaced Mack Brown, who led Texas to the 2005 national championship and a 158-48 record in 16 seasons, but there was a significant dip late in Brown's tenure. The Longhorns struggled to a 30-21 record the previous four seasons, including 17-15 in Big 12 Conference games, resulting in Brown's resignation.

"Change is difficult, but sometimes you need it," Diggs said. "We took it in stride. It was difficult at first, but once you learn the coaching staff, you begin to love them."

Strong has listed five core values for his players:

• Honesty

• Treat women with respect

• No drugs

• No stealing

• No guns

His message has caught the attention of the NFL. Commissioner Roger Goodell and vice president of operations Troy Vincent met with Strong in September to seek his input in discipline issues, particularly with regard to violence against women.

"He's setting a precedent," Vincent told Yahoo! Sports. "He's taking a stand on the front lines. If I'm a parent and I'm looking to send my son or daughter -- especially my daughter -- to the University of Texas, that coach is saying this is important.

"What Coach Strong is doing is creating a deterrent. You want to play Texas football, you can't get involved in this."

Texas' Board of Regents officially has endorsed Strong's core values.

Strong seems surprised by all the attention he's received for how he has disciplined players.

"Nothing I'm doing here is special," Strong said at a news conference before Texas played Oklahoma. "It's not about me. It's never been about me. It's about developing young men."

Diggs said Strong's caring nature comes through clearly.

"He can connect with each and every member of the team," Diggs said. "From the players to the mangers to the equipment room guys, he knows everybody by name. He wants to learn their personalities. He's a father figure to a lot of guys, because of a lot of guys come from single-parent homes.

"He's going to bring out the best in his players."

Diggs said players are able to joke with Strong, despite his reputation for toughness on and off the field. They've even kidded him about his Arkansas accent.

"It's just a little different," Diggs said. "You can tell he's not from Texas. It's not a Texas accent, nothing like we have here. We joke around and say he sounds a little Russian, but we appreciate him."

Strong looks like he could still play.

"He wakes up at 5 o'clock in the morning and goes for a run," Diggs said. "That's something you respect out of your head coach. You know if he's putting in the hard work, you can also do the same."

Strong said he grew up cheering for the Razorbacks, but he's gotten used to playing against them. Tonight will mark the ninth time he's faced Arkansas, although the previous eight were as a defensive coordinator at South Carolina and Florida with a combined 5-3 record in Strong's favor.

After the Texas Bowl matchup was announced, Strong was asked if he was upset Arkansas didn't recruit him.

"I wasn't a good enough athlete at that time," he said with a laugh. "I was really too small to go to Arkansas."

Diggs said the Longhorns are well aware of Strong's ties the state of Arkansas.

"We know he's an Arkansas native, and we also know he'd love to win this game," Diggs said. "We're going to go out and play our tails off for him."

Sports on 12/29/2014