Dawn Staley and Duce Staley are both successful coaches in their respective sports, but are they related? The answer is no, they are not. Despite sharing the same last name and both having ties to South Carolina, the two coaches have no familial connection.
Who is Dawn Staley?
Dawn Staley is an American basketball Hall of Fame player and coach, who is currently the head coach for the South Carolina Gamecocks women’s team. She has led the Gamecocks to two NCAA championships, in 2017 and 2022, and seven SEC titles. She is also the head coach of the USA women’s national team, which won the gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Staley was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on May 4, 1970. She played point guard for the University of Virginia, where she won two Naismith College Player of the Year awards and three Final Four appearances. She then played professionally in the American Basketball League and the WNBA, where she was a six-time All-Star and a member of the 10th and 15th Anniversary Teams. She also won three Olympic gold medals as a player, in 1996, 2000, and 2004.
Staley began her coaching career at Temple University in 2000, where she led the Owls to six NCAA tournament berths and four Atlantic 10 titles. She joined South Carolina in 2008 and has turned the Gamecocks into a powerhouse program. She was named the Naismith Coach of the Year three times, in 2020, 2022, and 2023. She also became the first person to win an Olympic gold medal as both a player and a coach in 2020.
Who is Duce Staley?
Duce Staley is an American football coach and former running back who is currently the assistant head coach and running backs coach for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served with the Philadelphia Eagles in various assistant coaching roles from 2011 to 2020.
Staley was born in Tampa, Florida, on February 27, 1975. He played college football at South Carolina, where he rushed for over 1,000 yards in each of his two seasons with the Gamecocks. He was drafted by the Eagles in the third round of the 1997 NFL draft and played for them until 2003. He then signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers and won a Super Bowl ring with them in 2005. He retired after the 2006 season with 5,785 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns.
Staley joined the Eagles’ coaching staff in 2011 as a special teams quality control coach. He was promoted to running backs coach in 2013 and added assistant head coach duties in 2018. He helped develop players such as LeSean McCoy, Darren Sproles, Jay Ajayi, Miles Sanders, and Boston Scott. He also interviewed for several head coaching vacancies but was not hired. He left the Eagles after the 2020 season and joined the Lions under new head coach Dan Campbell.
Conclusion
Dawn Staley and Duce Staley are both accomplished coaches who have made their mark in basketball and football respectively. However, they are not related by blood or marriage. They just happen to share a common surname and a passion for sports..
