By: Justin Lafleur

WACO, Texas — Dartmouth football defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Don Dobes has been named the AFCA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Assistant Coach of the Year, as announced on Thursday. Owning more than four decades of experience, the veteran coach has been the mastermind behind a dominant defense at Dartmouth over his time, while he also makes his mark in the community as well, leading to this national honor.
 
“To the AFCA, I would like to say thank you,” said Dobes. “I feel very blessed and honored to receive this prestigious award.”  
 
The Big Green’s Ivy League Championship this fall marked Dartmouth’s fourth in the last five seasons and the fifth title in Dobes’ 14 seasons on the sidelines in Hanover. He has now won 11 Ivy League Championships in his career, also including four at Penn and two at Princeton. The Big Green have consistently been near the top in the nation in scoring defense. Over the last 10 years, they have finished in the top 15 six times, including the top five on four occasions.
 
“Don Dobes‘ dedication to his players and the game of football, along with work ethic and positive attitude, make him a fitting and well-deserving recipient of this award,” said Sammy McCorkle, Robert L. Blackman Head Football Coach. “I’m so proud that Donny Dobes is being nationally recognized and even more grateful to be able to call him a colleague and close friend for these last 12 years.”
 

Dobes has been at Dartmouth since 2010 as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. Most recently in 2024, the Big Green finished seventh nationally in rushing defense (allowing 105.7 yards per game). They began the season 6-0 as one of just two undefeated teams in the nation at the time (along with Montana State). The defense came up with some big stands when it mattered most. At Yale, the Big Green allowed just seven points over the final 22:33 of regulation, allowing the offense to come back from a 30-7 deficit. Against CCSU, the Blue Devils had first-and-goal from the Dartmouth 6-yard line, but the Big Green stood tall and forced a turnover on downs to seal the 20-16 victory. The defense allowed fewer than 20 points in five of 10 games this season. Individually, Dartmouth featured eight All-Ivy honorees on defense, including all three linebackers and all three defensive linemen. Braden Mullen was named to the first team, with Danny Conin and Micah Green named honorable mention.
 
In 2023, Dobes’ led Dartmouth defense finished 14th nationally in scoring defense (allowing 19.3 points per game), 12th in total defense (allowing 305.5 yards per game), 10th in fourth down conversion percentage defense (34.8), 17th in third down conversion percentage defense (32.9) and fourth in first downs defense (170). The Big Green were 13th in rushing defense (105 yards per game) and 16th in team passing efficiency defense (115.65). Behind three straight wins to end the season, Dartmouth shared the Ivy League Championship.
 
“Coach Dobes has meant a lot to many student-athletes,” said Mullen. “He approaches every day with an unbelievable amount of energy and dedication towards developing us as students, athletes, and most importantly, men with good values. He sets the tone every day and exudes the gratitude that he instills in us. I’ve been honored to play for Coach Dobes.
 
“He doesn’t just coach football; he coaches life,” Mullen continued. “He teaches us how to be grateful for the position we are in and approach even the most menial tasks with energy and focus.”
 
Over the course of his career, Dobes has coached seven Bushnell Cup winners and multiple other finalists. This season, Ejike Adele was named a finalist for the Ivy League’s Defensive Player of the Week, with the winner announced this coming Monday, Dec. 16 in New York City.
 
Off the field, Dobes has made his mark on the AFCA on both the Assistant Coaches Committee and Registration Committee over his multiple-decade career. Both have happened from his time at Princeton and Dartmouth. In the community, he has given back through work with the Andy Talley Foundation. The foundation was dedicated to increasing the chances of finding life-saving donors for patients in need of blood stem cell or bone marrow transplants by enlisting young, committed donors to the NMDP^SM Registry.
 
Dobes has also been involved in Derek’s Dreams, dedicated to raising both awareness and funds to find a treatment or cure for Ataxia Telangiectasia (A-T), a rare, terrible, genetic disease that affects about 500 Americans. It is named after Derek DiGregorio from Princeton, New Jersey, who was diagnosed with the disease. He is also involved with Lauren’s First and Goal, which supports pediatric brain tumor research and cancer services.
 
Each year, staff representatives from NCAA and NAIA football-playing schools are asked to nominate an assistant for consideration. From those nominations, the winners are selected by the AFCA Assistant Coach of the Year Committee.
 
The Assistant Coach of the Year award was first presented in 1997 and was created to honor assistant coaches who excel in community service, commitment to the student-athlete, on-field coaching success and AFCA professional organization involvement.
 
Winners of the Assistant Coach of the Year Award will receive a plaque to commemorate their recognition. They will be honored Sunday, January 12, during the 2025 AFCA Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.