Rick Darlington

Bio

Played at Lakeland HS for Florida Coach of the Century Bill Castle
(47 years, 473 wins, 8 state titles over FIVE decades)

Graduated from Stetson University in 1987

37 years HS coaching experience, 30 as a Head Coach (Eustis FL, Apopka FL , Valdosta GA, Enterprise AL, Deland FL)

In those 30 seasons, 28 of his teams have made the playoffs in Florida, Georgia, and Alabama

Career Record is 268 wins & 102 losses
Has coached teams to 45 playoff victories

His teams have won 10 district championships, 8 region championships, have been state runners-up twice, and have won 3 state championships

His 2013 Apopka team set a state scoring record of 752 points, averaging 50.1 points per game over
15 games. The 2025 Deland Bulldogs averaged 48 points per game and put together the school’s first undefeated regular season in 30 years.