FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Al Golden was tapped on the right shoulder. He turned around and there was Matt Millen. The two smirked and Golden faced the media. “There’s one!” he proclaimed. Golden, like Millen, has come a long way since his Penn State playing days. But he can’t escape his past, especially ahead of one of the most pivotal games of his coaching career.
Golden was once a local hero, a slayer of Notre Dame. His game-tying touchdown reception subsequently led to the Nittany Lions’ 24-21 upset over the No. 1 Fighting Irish in 1990. He rejoined the program as a linebackers coach in 2000, spurring a path that included head coaching jobs at Temple and Miami (FL), before leading him to South Bend, Indiana, in 2022.
The team he once stood in the way of and helped defeat has embraced him with open arms. At Notre Dame, Golden is the coordinator of one of the nation’s most tantalizing defensive units, a roadblock in his alma mater’s return to the national championship game. The lessons he learned at Penn State are endless. They helped him in a push to Thursday’s Orange Bowl.
“The overarching lesson that has always stayed with me is that if you take care of the person, the person will become what you want as an athlete,” Golden said on Tuesday. “Whether it’s the character development, the community service, be demanding academically, be disciplined, form great habits, be a team player, all of those things.”
Golden’s players have seen the videos. They were passed through the locker room when Golden was hired. They’ve seen the clip of his touchdown against the Fighting Irish, his protruding shoulder pads stealing their attention. “That was the style back in the day, I guess,” linebacker Jack Kiser said with a chuckle.
Kiser has dug deep. He’s seen footage of Golden lifting in the Penn State gym, donning a cut-off shirt. He’s seen the fire that molded much of what his defensive coordinator is about. Golden doesn’t have a motto or mantra, just a demeanor and a way of handling business that has infected the Notre Dame defense.
“As a defense, when something bad happens on the offensive side of the ball and you have to take the field, it can be a sucky situation,” Kiser said. “But at the same time, when you see him fired up and excited for the challenge and relishing the opportunity, you understand that, ‘Hey, this is us too. Like, we get a chance to set a statement here.’”
The journey has always been a challenge for Golden. And it’s always been exciting. His aspirations of a long NFL career didn’t pan out past one year with the New England Patriots, so he went into coaching and slowly worked his way up the ladder. A former tight end, Golden taught himself defense. Then he learned offense again in two years as the Detroit Lions’ tight ends coach.
“So to go full circle now, now you go coach defense and now you’re the coordinator, like, there’s not a run that I can’t picture who the Mike (linebacker) is and where the zone is going to or what the gap scheme is going to,” Golden said. “All of those things contribute to the way you see the game on game day and the way you prepare for it.”
The road has been so long, from high school to college to NFL to college again that Golden can hardly remember the last time he visited State College. But there will always be a part of the Nittany Lions within him. Even still, it’s his duty to stop them in the national semifinal.
“I’m just happy he’s on our side,” Notre Dame offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock said.
