By GENARO C. ARMAS
AP Sports Writer
October 14, 2011

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STATE COLLEGE — A Pennsylvania college football coach is approaching a record for longevity this weekend — and it's not the one at Penn State.

East Stroudsburg's Denny Douds will tie the Division II record for most games coached of 393 when he takes the sideline for Saturday's game against C.W. Post.

A 38-year head coaching veteran, Douds already has a resume full of distinctions. Most notably, his 230 wins are most in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference history.

Douds' authoritative voice filled with energy when asked about the challenges of coaching his latest team — East Stroudsburg is 1-5. But Douds, 70, would rather not talk about his own accomplishments.

"What impact does it have, or this or that," he asked rhetorically in a phone interview Thursday about the record. "Well, we've listened to a lot of versions of the Star-Spangled Banner."

Senior linebacker Bryan Billger offered a bit more perspective.

"He's the JoePa of Division II," Billger said. "East Stroudsburg has a great tradition of winning, and I wanted to be a part of it."

Billger would be referring to the Nittany Lions' Joe Paterno, no slouch at longevity himself. Paterno, in his 46th season on the sideline, has coached 545 games entering Saturday's contest against Purdue.

"He's certainly a person who's in a level or class by himself," Douds said.

According to East Stroudsburg, Douds on Saturday will tie Jim Malosky, who coached Minnesota-Duluth from 1958-97, on the Division II games-coached list. He would set the mark Oct. 22 against Millersville.

The old-school Douds apparently hasn't let up on the field. "He'll still yell at you — he doesn't care about hurting your feelings," said Billger, a fifth-year senior.

Douds insists that his players tuck in their jerseys — needling them even if they were let out accidentally during a play.

Off the field, Billger said the team relates to Douds, who puts an emphasis on family and team unity. Douds' rule is that the team dons the exact same uniforms each Saturday, and lets the players decide each Tuesday how they want to look.

For instance, some weeks, the Warriors will vote to wear their socks high; other weeks low. But they must all wear it the same way. Billger is unaware of any other PSAC team that has that rule.

"It's important because it's about the little details," Billger said. "The little details matter in the game of football."

So far this season, East Stroudsburg hasn't had much success, losing five straight after a season-opening, 56-14 win over Pace. Douds is quick to note that the Warriors have the eighth toughest schedule in the country, and that he's very satisfied with the effort from his players.

And it doesn't appear as if he'll be leaving the sideline any time soon.

"I still get excited about getting out of bed every morning," Douds said. "To be honest with you, I thoroughly enjoy coaching and all the things that come with it, the challenges of trying to make a difference in a young man's life."