Desert Valley Blitz

EP#22-How A Reluctant Assistant Turned Palm Springs Football Into A Powerhouse

• CV Hustle Studios • Season 1 • Episode 22

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A head coach who never planned to be one. That’s the heart of our conversation with Palm Springs’ Darryl Gore—an assistant who almost walked away when his mentor retired, then stepped up because his players asked him to. What follows is a story about tradition, buy-in, and the quiet work that turns a program into a family.

We trace Coach Gore’s journey from Pop Warner fields in 1992 to balancing football, basketball, and even baseball—all while learning under legends like Coach Fabian and Coach Murph. He shares how sprinting between JV and varsity made him a better teacher, why alumni coaches strengthen the culture, and what actually changes when the assistant everyone loves becomes the head coach who has to make the hard calls. The real shift? Handling parents, managing the unseen logistics, and building a staff that can carry the standard without losing the human touch.

Gore breaks down the 8–0 start with specifics: a tougher summer, more strength work, and a relentless focus on unity to erase divides between linemen and skill, offense and defense. He explains how a senior-heavy roster matured, how plug-and-play on the line is built on fundamentals, and why the run game clicked. His philosophy is clear and refreshing—don’t treat every player the same. Listen first, coach the kid in front of you, and earn trust before demanding more. We also talk mentors in Texas high school football, what translates, and what doesn’t, and we end with actionable advice for young coaches: learn the unglamorous parts, hire for character, and let tradition do its work.

If this story of culture, development, and leadership resonates, tap follow, share it with a coach or parent who needs it, and leave a quick review to help more listeners find the show. Your support keeps these conversations going.

Welcome And Guest Introduction

SPEAKER_01

Welcome back, everybody, to Desert Valley Blitz Coach's Corner Edition. And today we've got a real exciting guest. We always try and bring on the brightest minds in the Coachella Valley of football. And today's no exception because today we've got Palm Springs head coach, Darryl Gore, joining the show today. Hi, coach. Thanks for coming in, man. Thanks for having me. Thanks for coming in, man. We've been trying to get you for a while and we finally locked you in. So we're happy to have you, man. He's a busy guy, man. That's what happens when you're undefeated, right? Yeah.

Origins In Pop Warner

SPEAKER_01

So, coach, we want to so start starting with the beginning. We want to hear about your journey with this game. I know you've affected a lot of young men's futures in this game, but where did your where did your journey with this football game start?

SPEAKER_02

Actually, I was actually I started um coaching back in '92, pop morning. Okay.

SPEAKER_04

Wow. Out here? John down, John Downs football? Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

We're too old. Uh the Bears. Was it the Bears out there?

SPEAKER_02

Oh, the Redskins. I remember them. Okay. Wow. Yeah, I started there. You know, my my cousin asked me to come out. He had a team. Okay. One of the teams. It was um 10 to 12 year olds. Okay. He asked me to come out and uh came out and had some fun with it. I enjoyed it. You know, I always liked sports. Right. And uh I coached with him two years. Two years doing that. And took a little time. I had some some guys I went to school with was coaching at the high school. Okay. And um I was like, man, how can I get to do that? You know, come over and do that. And they said, oh, you know, if you got time, you know, we'll talk to the coach and everything. So time went by a little bit, and I ended up getting a job at the high school. Perfect. So I got the job, and then they had a coach that the coach was there. And now I'm just working. You know, I'm trying to figure everything out. And then the next year that probably that spring, coach is like, What you think about coming on the staff? I heard that you could coach a little bit from guys I went to school with that was coaching with him.

SPEAKER_00

Okay.

SPEAKER_02

And I said, Yeah, you know, I like that. You know, yeah. Who was the heck? Oh. He ended up getting fired at that time. And then Coach Fabian got hired. Legend. Coach Fabian. So Coach Fabian, um, his first year, and he's like, Won't you come out? And we'll give you a few kids to yell at it a little bit. And I was like, Oh, okay, okay, coach, I'll uh wait. That was his first year, and I was like, I'm still trying to get my feet wet on what on my work I'm doing. So I didn't coach his first year. And then the next year I asked him, I said, Coach, I think

Climbing The High School Ranks

SPEAKER_02

I can help come out. And he's like, Okay, well, why don't you be the JV coach? And I said, Yeah, so that's where I started with him, JV coach. It's funny because me and Coach Brown, my defense coordinator now, he was a JV coach.

SPEAKER_01

Another legendary coach out here.

SPEAKER_02

Another guy, and it was us three. And we did that for about three or four years. Three or four years, um, us three together, and then I moved up to varsity, started coaching running backs, you know, but then I was still coaching JV.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

A little bit. Two games a week for you then. Yeah. Yeah. I'm at varsity, and hey, I now I gotta shoot to get to the J V game. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

You know, because I remember those days. I know it's a lot. I remember those things.

SPEAKER_02

So yeah, did that for a couple years until I want to say 2006? 2006, my my son was coming to the high school then. Okay, and I told Coach Fabian, I want to go down and coach a freshman. Okay, yeah, we we can do that. So he let me go down and coach him as a freshman. I did freshman ball that year. And then after that, I went back up to varsity and been been on his staff, coached with him, Coach Fabian. I learned a hell of a lot of people. I bet. You know, and then um Coach Murph, after Fabian retired, Coach Murph got another job. Me and Coach Murph went to school together. Oh, right. So he was one of the guys. He was one of the guys, okay. I didn't know that. So he's asked me, you gonna stay on? And I said, of course. You know, so I coached with him for his time. Great company. Yeah. And then once he did 11 years, 11 years. Okay. Then he's like, I'm about to hang it up. And I thought my coaching football career was done. Yeah, I'll hang it up too. Yeah, that was the big thing. I was like, okay. I guess we're not gonna be coaching no, you know, football no more. But then the kids was like, hey, are you gonna try for the head coach? And I'm like, I don't know. Hey, let's try. Why don't you try? The kids was just talking and talking. Then I talked to some of the guys on the staff, and then we was like, hey, we can we try for the job. We can keep the staff together. Yeah. You know, so a couple of us, a couple of us applied for the job. I ended up getting it. You know, I didn't I didn't reach out to do this at head coach.

SPEAKER_01

Was it never your intention to be a head coach? Or is that something not football, really? Really? Yeah, football. Really? That's interesting.

SPEAKER_02

I love the game. I coach other sports too.

SPEAKER_01

Um at the high school, right? Yeah, I coach basketball. Oh, okay. And another powerhouse program.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, I coach basketball. I I've been coaching basketball for about 20 years, too. So I coached with two head coaches' jobs. Dennis Zeke, I coached with him. When he came and got the job, then he he needed some help. And my son was there and came as a freshman. And I started helping the freshman a little bit. And he's like, hey, I need you to coach my JV team. I said, All right, so I coached the JV team and then he's like, hey, you gonna come help me on the varsity team that next year. For basketball. Basketball, yeah. So I had been with him. So when he ended up retired, he ended up retired because he got an A D job and they couldn't coach and be the job school. Yeah, you know, I applied for the basketball job. Really? So that was what you were your real intention was, huh? I applied for the basketball job. I didn't get it, you know. Guy got it, good coach Chris Howard. He got the basketball job, you know, and then he asked

Balancing Football And Basketball

SPEAKER_02

me to stay on with him. So I said, yeah, I'll stay on because I love basketball too. You know, so I've been coaching there basketball with him ever since. Do you still coach basketball? Yeah, I still coach. To this day?

SPEAKER_01

Wow. That's my little break. The hardest working man in sports man, man. Because a head varsity coach, that's a year-round job. That's a big job, right? It is, man.

SPEAKER_02

I don't mean only he lets me, he lets me do my football stuff. Okay. You know, just um I do my football stuff probably to about 4 o'clock, 3:30, 4 o'clock every day. Then I go to basketball practice. Wow. That's the fun. And then I don't have to make no decisions on basketball.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

You know, so I'm still doing the football stuff. After basketball practice, games I'm there, you know, traveling a little bit with basketball, but I'm with the kids football-wise, you know, still during during that season. Yeah. Wow. Yeah, so it's a little, it's a little break for me. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

So back coaching basketball is a break from you.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

That just tells you you're you're a coach at heart, man. I don't think you're I don't think you're ever gonna not be a coach.

SPEAKER_02

Man, I I try, like I coached baseball for a while too. Really? So it was at one point I was coaching all three schools. Yeah. And I'm like, okay. And I kept telling everybody, it was funny, I people would ask. And I said, oh, I'm gonna give up basketball because I love baseball too. That was my tell you the truth, that was my theme. Baseball. Um growing up baseball? Growing up, yeah. And I always said, because I had some good coaches when I was younger, and I always said, I'm gonna be a baseball coach, you know. And I like I like coaching baseball because you can control the game as a coach. You know, so I coached baseball, and I was like, well, I'm gonna give up basketball, get a little break, football. Now I was just an assistant football coach. And and um people, I was like, I thought you were gonna give up basketball. Yeah, but Zeke won't let me uh give it up. You know, so it was hard. It was hard. I was much younger then. Yeah. It was hard going from football to basketball to baseball, then right after baseball, we in spring football. Yeah. Year round.

SPEAKER_01

I mean, that's year round. You don't ever get to take a vacation. Your wife only kill you at this point. You ever took on a vacation?

SPEAKER_02

No, I didn't I always have no vacation. Yeah. I use my vacation time at the start of football season. There you go. I I take my break from work. That's it. But we have football practice today.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, you're a lifer, man. So no, we never went on no vacation.

SPEAKER_04

You coached a lot of kids over the years, I bet.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, a lot. A lot. Yeah, three sports. I mean, thousands of kids. That's awesome.

SPEAKER_02

That's what I tell people sometimes. I forget names because so many names in my head. Right. But uh I love when they come back. Yeah. Come back and say hello. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Because Palm Springs got a history, man. Like your guys, you guys stick together, and like a lot of you guys on your staff are former players that that used to play at the school. So it's a it's kind of a beautiful thing, man. Yeah, but I mean your quarterback right now is a legendary kid. His father was a legendary player in our generation, Mr. Bishop Miller. Now his son comes back and leads you guys. Just it's it's kind of a beautiful tradition that they guys have going over there, man.

SPEAKER_02

I have a few kids that I've coached their dad. You know, I have three, one, two, three, four, four coaches on my staff that I coached.

Year-Round Coaching And Sacrifice

SPEAKER_01

Really? So they're directly from your tree. They're just your your extension of you, you know, basically. They wouldn't acknowledge it, um, did their thing and come back and won. So it's a that's awesome, man. Yeah. That's awesome. That's very I mean, then that's why you guys are successful, I think. It's because they know they know the tradition, right? They know what it is. Yeah, that's the thing. And if you grow up in that tradition, and then the expectations are just there. Like you gotta you don't have to like build it, it's already there. Looking to upgrade your home, Tile Designs by Fina is your one-stop destination for beautiful flooring, hard surfaces, and countertops. From timeless design, modern styles, they've got the perfect look for every room. Stop by today and transform your space with Tile Designs by Fina. Let's design together. Tired of payroll headaches? iPay Solutions is your local payroll and HR partner right here in the Coachella Valley. From direct deposits to compliance, we handle the details so you can focus on growing your business. iPay Solutions, local, reliable, and built for your success.

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SPEAKER_02

Yeah, they know it. They know it. And then we always get kids to come back and talk to the kids, you know, about playing for Palm Springs.

SPEAKER_00

That's bad.

SPEAKER_01

So that helps that helps out a lot. Yeah. You know. So the tradition just feels the next, the next, the generation.

SPEAKER_02

Try to, yeah. Yeah. That's awesome, man. And I get kids that don't even know. I mean, kids I've just meet, come and play. Oh, you know my uncle. My uncle played it. I'm like, well, who's your uncle? You know, you know, had a guy that played for us in 09. His um his nephew was playing. Playing for us. And he told me one day, he's like, you know my uncle Sergio. I said, what's Sergio? Ruiz. I said, yeah, yeah. He played nose guard for us, you know. Yeah, that's my uncle. I said, oh. And then his uncle came out to practice last week.

SPEAKER_01

You know, hadn't seen him in a long time. You recognized him once you seen him, right? Oh, yeah. Because sometimes the names are like, uh, it's been a lot of names, but when you see a face, yeah, it is something.

SPEAKER_02

It is something. I get people that uh come exercise around high school, the track and stuff. And I can't remember their names. But they, coach, you know, just this is stuff. Okay, what year? Takes a man and time. Yeah, what yeah? Place that face. Yeah. They tell me.

SPEAKER_01

Then it comes back to me. Well, you kind of uh so you weren't expecting to really be a football head coach, right? You've been an assistant

Tradition And Alumni Roots

SPEAKER_01

for, wow, like almost 15 years, and now you're and now you're the head guy. What what was the main adjustment that you had kind of had to make going from you know that assistant that every kid loved and wanted to be around to having to be the head guy and make every hard decision? Like what was your what was the biggest adjustment for you going to into that filling that head coaching job?

SPEAKER_00

Um the biggest adjustment.

SPEAKER_02

You know, I uh when Murph was was was was coaching, I was assistant, I I helped him out quite a bit.

SPEAKER_01

I did a lot of so he was grooming you, kind of. He's kind of grooming you from grooming me. You had a pretty good idea of the dilemmas that head coaches faced, right?

SPEAKER_02

I had a lot, yeah, because I kind of I mean, it was he kept me up on everything. Right. You know, and I I helped him with a lot of stuff. So I knew a lot of stuff when once I got his job. The biggest part was now I don't have me. Oh, yeah.

Sponsor Messages

SPEAKER_02

To lean on to take half the work. That guy, I'm doing everything. I'm like, oh, I gotta find a guy. You gotta find a guy. Yeah, yeah. So that was kind of like the biggest um thing. And my line coach, um Mo Barragon, he he played for us. He's another guy that coached too, you know. He played for us back in 2005 and stuff, and he he always messed me. He's like, Coach, you done got soft. He's like, what? He's like, yeah. I remember when you was just an assistant, I used to be scared of you. You done got soft, and I'm like, well, well, I'll have to deal with parents. Yeah. Back then I wasn't the guy that they had the parents had to answer to the parents.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, you weren't out in front with the parents like when you're an assistant, right? That's right.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. So now I have to, I gotta walk uh little bit. Yeah, definitely. So that's like a biggest, biggest change.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. I mean, you're the guy when when nobody else can solve the problem, guess who the problem comes to? The head coach. Right? Those phone calls and those text messages and all that. Dealing with all kinds of stuff that got nothing to do with football. Nothing.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Nothing. That's it.

SPEAKER_04

You guys are 8-0 this year. Did was there any changes coming into this year? Did you change anything, or you just kept kept the recipe the same and the kids just kind of bought in and figured it out?

SPEAKER_02

Well, we we um we changed from the

Keeping Culture Alive

SPEAKER_02

how we worked out from the the summer.

SPEAKER_04

Okay.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, we we we changed that a little bit. You know, a little bit more.

SPEAKER_04

Fantastically a little bit.

SPEAKER_02

A little bit more work. Okay. A little bit more work. Like we got beat up last year. Okay.

SPEAKER_04

All right. So you made an emphasis to getting that weight.

SPEAKER_02

You know, and then togetherness. Yeah. That was one of the big things for them to be a well become a family. Yeah. To come together.

SPEAKER_04

Put that hard work in early, suffer together.

SPEAKER_02

You know, you talk to kids here and there in the last couple years, and I didn't think it was last year, the year before, but last year too. A little separate. Kids a little separate. Yeah. Um, so and it gets to where like the linemen is separated from the skill guys.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Guys that just played defense are separated. You know, so our biggest thing was bring everybody together. Bring them together. Well, it showed, yeah. It's it's that was and we still preach that to this day.

SPEAKER_04

Um started in the late written though. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

So that was the biggest change, though. Yeah, because it's basically the same team, right? I mean, pretty much same staff, same staff, same team.

SPEAKER_02

We just said we senior loaded this year because all the guys were juniors last year. Yeah. We uh we had a few guys that come out. Yeah, injury injury bug hit you last year. I remember that. But so half our team, a little bit more than half our team are seniors. So it's basically the same team. Yeah. We just lost a few guys. All our skill guys are the same. Yeah. We lost a lot last year. Okay. We lost a lot. Our linemen is we have two guys from the line last year. It don't show.

SPEAKER_04

Those guys are losing people.

SPEAKER_02

Plug and play, man. Yeah. Plug and play. A lot of coaches, but he he he does a great job. Doing a great job. He does a great job. You guys ran the ball great last week.

SPEAKER_01

So thank you.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, thank you.

SPEAKER_01

Fun to watch. Yeah, absolutely. Any um mentors that you haven't mentioned? Because we all have you know mentors and guys that kind of shaped our collo coaching philosophies. Who kind of who would you point to as somebody that really influenced it? It was a couple people, and then we may have mentioned them already.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, the ones I've mentioned, they they they was guys I've got a lot from. Right. Got a real really a lot from that they kind of mold me. But I have a cousin that um uh they played in the football in the league. Okay. So every now and then I give them a call

Becoming Head Coach And Adjustments

SPEAKER_02

and um, hey, how can I work with this situation? Right. You know, hey, how we do this? And he coaches now down in Texas. Okay, okay. You know, he coaches down in Texas, high school. Yeah, you know, so now it's a lot different down there. Oh, yeah. Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_01

They take it seriously now.

SPEAKER_02

He tells me what they can do, what they do, and you know, I try to implement some of the stuff a little bit down here, some things we can't do that they do down here. But so I lean on him um quite a bit.

SPEAKER_01

I'll give him a call. Yeah, that's awesome to have that resource, man. That's what I was gonna say. He's a coach, so he feels your pain, man. Yes, right? We all feel each other's pain when we're trying to coach these young these young men to act as a team, you know. It's not the easiest job.

SPEAKER_02

It's like a hundred different problems.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, man. Definitely, definitely. So we always like to ask our coaches, um, we want to kind of build a roadmap for the younger guys coming up, you know, that's kind of important in the show. So, what advice would you give to maybe a young coach or somebody thinking about getting in the profession that wanna maybe wants to be where you're at right now as a head coach of a of a a very traditionally winning program, what what advice would you give them coming up?

SPEAKER_02

Uh biggest thing for me is um I all kids are different. Uh you know, I I I get it from some people that hey, you treat 'em all the same. You can't treat them all the same. Because everybody Has a different background and you never know what's going on at home. You know, so just just really listen. Listen to them. Kids want to work. Kids want to work. Yeah. They want to uh please. Sometimes they just don't know how. So my biggest thing is listen to the kids.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Listen to the kids. And uh you know, you'll figure out how to how to treat this person and and this person. They treat them all the same. Yeah, you gotta be like part psychologist, man.

SPEAKER_01

I love that.

SPEAKER_02

I told probably um my athlete director and um his um secretary, um I talk to them all the time. And I said, I need to hire a psychologist on my staff. You know, that's you really do. Yeah, serious, because I've I've had to have some talks with some.

SPEAKER_04

Oh, it makes sense. They are all different, they learn different, yeah, you know, they they execute differently.

SPEAKER_02

Sometimes you you learn more than what you want to know from some of them, you know, family life-wise.

SPEAKER_00

Right.

SPEAKER_01

You know, they just need an ear sometimes.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

And and it's it's up to us as coaches to figure out what kind of what kind of way to approach them. And I think you know, you're that's why you're successful, because you're doing a good job. Some kids need a pat in the back, and some kids you need to yell. It just depends on the kid. Yeah, you're right. Sometimes they don't respond to that. Yeah, some people don't respond to yelling, and you gotta know that as a coach of what you can do and what you can't do. Exactly. So, I mean, that's a that's a great little tidbit right there. That's good advice. Yeah, good advice because I think we could take that into life as well. Yeah, people that are training the youth, you know. Not every kid's gonna react to yelling. And not every kid is gonna react to the nice being the nice guy either. So you gotta that's something you gotta figure it out. Yes, we'll coach your fast becoming a legend in this valley, man. 8 0. We're all gonna be rooting for you this year, man. We know your time is limited. So we want to thank you for coming in, man. Thanks for having me. All right. Well, so if you guys found some value in that, you know the you know the routine, like, subscribe, and follow. And we'll

From 8–0: Toughness And Unity

SPEAKER_01

see you next time on Desert Valley Blitz. Thank you.