Former Geneva College quarterback David Girardi excelled during his four seasons on the football field as a Golden Tornado. While he didn't know it at the beginning, his passion for football would eventually lead him into coaching, where he has climbed the ranks, landing in the NFL. Girardi is beginning his second season with the Kansas City Chiefs as an offensive quality control coach, working closely with the quarterbacks, including NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes.
Girardi, from nearby New Kensington, arrived at Geneva in 2007, and after one season he took over the starting quarterback position for the Golden Tornadoes. He went on to start 30 games for Geneva, throwing for 5,997 yards and 37 touchdowns. He also helped lead Geneva to its last postseason victory in 2009, a thrilling 29-28 win over Greenville University in the National Christian College Athletic Association Victory Bowl. This season represents the ten-year anniversary of that team.
It wasn't until Girardi's junior year that he began to think seriously about pursuing coaching after graduation. Geneva Head Coach
Geno DeMarco began to give him more freedom with the offense, and Girardi found that he really enjoyed the schematic aspects of the game. By the end of the season, he was convinced that coaching was what he wanted to pursue after graduation.
Looking back on his playing days, Girardi has great memories from his time at Geneva. "Night games at Reeves Field stand out to me," he says. "It was an opportunity to go out and perform with the guys you spent so much time with. The gameday atmosphere on College Hill is so special."
After graduation, his first coaching job was as a defensive graduate assistant in 2011 and 2012 at Seton Hill University. He then returned to Geneva as the quarterbacks coach for the 2013 season. His next stop was at Northwestern University, where he spent three seasons, first as an offensive quality control coach and then as a graduate defensive assistant working with the defensive backs. The following season, in 2017, he became the quarterbacks coach at Lafayette College for one season before eventually landing with the Kansas City Chiefs.
"I believe it's important, especially as a young coach, to learn as much as you can from as many people as you can," says Girardi. "You grow when you are uncomfortable. I've been at five places in eight years, at all different levels, coaching both offense and defense, and I've grown because of it. It's laid a solid foundation for me to build upon."
Coach DeMarco has impacted Girardi significantly, both as a player, and now as a coach. Despite keeping his own busy schedule, Coach DeMarco has always been there for Girardi. "He's someone you can count on," says Girardi. "Transitioning from jobs can be stressful because you're leaving your comfort zone and going into an unknown. He's always helped to reassure me that I was making the right decision for my career."
Girardi's connection with the Chiefs came about through his time at Northwestern, where he worked alongside graduate assistant Mike Kafka, and the two developed a strong relationship. Kafka was hired by the Chiefs in 2017, and when a position opened with the Chiefs in 2018, Kafka recommended Girardi to Head Coach Andy Reid. Girardi went through the interview process and impressed enough to be offered the job.
Girardi's role as an offensive quality control coach has him working daily with Chiefs' offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, along with Kafka, the Chiefs' quarterbacks coach. Those responsibilities mean Girardi is focused primarily on working with Kansas City's quarterbacks, led by Mahomes.
Life as an NFL coach is a demanding and time-consuming job. During the season, Girardi says his typical day starts at around 6:00 a.m. when he prepares for the morning meeting with the quarterbacks. He then moves on to practice. After practice, the coaches watch film of the prior practice, and then the coaches watch the same practice film again with the players, pointing out areas that need improvement. He then moves on to game preparations for the upcoming opponent, working on schemes and plays that might work against the opposing team's defense. His day finishes around midnight, sometimes later, and the same schedule repeats itself the following day.
On gamedays, Girardi finishes game plan preparations in the morning and then is up in the box charting plays during the game, both what the Chiefs are doing offensively but also tracking what plays the opponent's defense is calling.
During the offseason, the coaches still keep a busy schedule. Girardi generally arrives by 6:00 a.m., and his responsibilities entail several different tasks. The coaches will re-watch the entire season and re-evaluate what worked and what didn't. He helps prepare for the draft, watching tape on college players. Girardi also helps prepare for Organized Team Activities (OTAs), which start in April and run through June. He gets a bit of a break at the end of June until training camp starts in late July.
Learning under Coach Reid has also been a blessing for Girardi. Reid is one of the most well-respected coaches in the NFL, with decades of experience. "A lot of people know Coach Reid for the great coach that he is," says Girardi, "but he's an even better person. He has genuine care for his staff and his players. He is an outstanding teacher and is a developer of men, both players and coaches. His attention to detail is second to none."
Working with Mahomes has also been a great experience for Girardi. In his first season as an NFL starter, Mahomes threw for over 5,000 yards and 50 touchdowns, only the second player in NFL history to accomplish those numbers in a single season. His performance earned him the NFL MVP. What fans saw every Sunday, Girardi saw every day in practice, and Mahomes' mental toughness and sharpness impressed Girardi in their daily meetings.
Despite the larger scale of the NFL, Girardi says that as far as football, it's still the same game he enjoyed playing so much as a Golden Tornado. Players want to learn and get better, and coaches work hard to develop edges. Many of the base packages and schemes are similar, though the volume and complexity of plays are greater in the NFL because players and staff can commit all day to the sport. In addition, the external things like stadiums, crowds, and media coverage are at the highest levels in the NFL.
Girardi hopes one day to become a head coach. When that might occur, and at what level, he doesn't yet know. Right now, he's trying to gain as much experience as possible to help him prepare for that possibility someday. Despite coaching at the highest level and working with the biggest names the sport has to offer, Geneva is never far from Girardi's mind. He follows the program during the season, and a return to the Golden Tornadoes still has appeal to him.
"While I don't know where this journey will take me, one thing I will say is, returning back to College Hill is never far from my mind," says Girardi. "Geneva is my alma mater. It's home."
Geneva College is a Christ-centered academic community that provides a comprehensive education to equip students for faithful and fruitful service to God and neighbor. Offering over 115 traditional undergraduate majors and programs, fully online Adult Degree Programs and high-demand graduate degrees, Geneva's programs are recognized for their high quality. U.S. News & World Report ranks Geneva as a Top Three Best Value Regional University with one of the top engineering programs in the nation. Adhering to the truth of Scripture, a Geneva education is grounded in God's Word as well as in a core curriculum designed to prepare students vocationally to think, write and communicate well in today's world.
