Danny White has one fewer assistant coaches than most in the Arena Football League.
The Utah Blaze head coach, instead, prefers quality ahead of quantity.
White says the Blaze have "three head coaches." White is joined by defensive coordinator Hunkie Cooper — one of the all-time best players in AFL history — and Ron James, the Blaze line coach who was the Las Vegas Gladiators' head coach last season.
Cooper and White have been working together for 15 years — most of that time with Cooper being a star player for White with the Arizona Rattlers. Cooper finished his career as Arizona's all-time leader in receiving yards (8,559), receptions (776), forced fumbles (7), fumble recoveries (11) and touchdowns (205). Cooper is also the Arena Football League's all-time leader in all-purpose yardage (20,587) and kickoff returns (500).
Last season he served as the Blaze's offensive coordinator, helping the team average 54.4 points per game. But Utah struggled defensively in their first season, so White has assigned Cooper to take over as the defensive coordinator this year. White will handle the offensive coordinator duties himself.
"Hunkie was a great player, and he's a great coach," said White. "I know what I'm going to get with Hunkie."
James was let go as the Gladiators' head coach after last season when his team went 5-11 and failed to make the playoffs. But he brings a wealth of AFL experience with him, having served as an assistant coach with both the Houston ThunderBears and the Gladiators before becoming a head coach.
"I can't even begin to tell you what a difference it has made to have a guy here with head coaching in this league," said White. "I don't have to worry because I know those guys are getting coached the right way and they will be ready and be at their best. He has taken a ton of pressure off of me."
White feels completely confident in delegating responsibilities to his assistants.
"It's like we have three head coaches," said White. "Hunkie is the head coach of the defense, and Ron James is the head coach of the offensive and defensive lines. That way, I don't have to be in charge of everything. Hunkie knows if we give up too many points, it's on him. Ron knows if we give up too many sacks or don't get enough sacks, it's on him. These are two guys that I can do that with."
Incidentally, Cooper, a native of Las Vegas, was seen as a major candidate for the Gladiators' head coaching job during the offseason. White feels it will be only a matter of time before he gets that opportunity. So the Blaze have the head coach with the second most wins in AFL history in White, a former AFL head coach as their offensive and defensive line coach in James and a former star player and future head coach in Cooper as their defensive coordinator. A third assistant coach, Lindsay Hassell, helps James with the Blaze linemen.
"We are one body short on our coaching staff this year," said White, "but the tradeoff in quality of coaching is well worth it."
James, who also was a college assistant coach before getting into the AFL, had plenty of options he could have pursued, but he liked the situation with the Blaze.
"This has been a breath of fresh air for me," said James of joining the Blaze staff. "Getting back to being a positional coach has reinvigorated me as a coach. Working for a quality coach like Danny White has been a blessing."
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