Ball State University Athletics
Three Football Coaches Leave for San Diego State
January 12, 2009 | Football
Three Ball State University football coaches -- Darrell Funk, Jeff Hecklinski and Mark Smith -- have left the university to accept similar positions at San Diego State University on the staff of former Ball State head coach Brady Hoke.
Funk, who was in his first year at Ball State in 2008 and coached the offensive guards and centers, will coach the offensive line for the Aztecs. Funk came to Ball State after spending from 2003-07 as an assistant coach at Colorado State. He also served stints as a fulltime assistant at Muskingum College (1990-92), Mesa State College (1993-97), Rhode Island (1998-2001) and Northern Illinois (2002). Funk is a 1988 graduate of Colorado State, and earned his master's at Illinois in 1990.
Hecklinski, who completed his fifth season at Ball State in 2008, will serve as assistant head coach and recruiting coordinator plus coach the running backs for San Diego State. Hecklinski completed his 11th year as a football coach this past fall. He coached the wide receivers for the Cardinals from 2004-07, and added the duties of recruiting coordinator last season. Hecklinski also served stints as an assistant at Benedictine (1998), Fort Scott Community College (1999-2000), Central Missouri State (2001-02) and Arizona (2003). He is a 1997 graduate of Western Illinois, where he passed for 5,980 career yards to rank second all-time on the Leatherneck's career chart.
Smith will coach the linebackers at SDSU after six years as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Ball State. Smith came to Ball State after 15 years as an assistant at Indiana State, including serving as defensive coordinator for the Sycamores from 2001-02. Smith also served stints as an assistant coach at Defiance High School (1979-81), Bowling Green (1982-85) and Rose Hulman (1986-87). Smith earned his bachelor's degree from Purdue in 1979, and his master's from Bowling Green in 1983.
