Talley Ho! Former Assistant Leaves 49ers For College Ranks

Every once in awhile a story comes along that makes me smile and this is one. Rob Talley, defensive backs coach and later defensive coordinator at Dartmouth under John Lyons, has been named head football coach at Division II Stonehill College in Easton, Mass.. A former defensive back at Boston University, Rob was at Dartmouth from 1997-2004. Since leaving Dartmouth he has served as a special assistant to the head coach and an assistant line coach for the San Francisco 49ers.

From a Brockton Enterprise story about Talley's hiring:

That's probably one of the most asked questions, how do you go from the 49ers to Stonehill,” said Talley. “To me, the NFL has always been something I've been excited about, to coach at the highest level.

“But my No. 1 goal has always been to be a head coach at an institution that cares about student-athletes and is committed.

I distinctly remember the interview I had with Rob when he took the job with the Niners. He was excited about the NFL of course, but he made it clear that he very much wanted some day to be a head football coach at the college level because of the impact he could have on young lives. Now he's going to have that chance and Stonehill is going to have at least one more fan because it's impossible not to root for Rob. There's a full release from Stonehill with photos and quotes from 49ers coach Mike Nolan and New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin here.