Dave Darnall is a graduate of the AOHS Class of '60 and graduated from Illinois State University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Physical Education in 1965 and earned his Masters Degree in Physical Education in 1971.

Dave started his coaching career at the high school level and was named head basketball coach at Eureka College in 1974 and served in that position until 1994.

Dave's overall coaching record at Eureka College was 383 wins and 151 losses, a .717 winning percentage. Dave coached the Eureka College Red Devil's basketball team to winning the NAIA National Basketball Championship Division II in March of 1994.

Honors and other awards that Dave has received are:
Illinois State University 1996 Alumni Achievement Award
Illinois State University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1991
Eureka College Athletic Hall of Fame in October of 1999
Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1990
Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame in February 1995
NAIA Hall of Fame in March 2005
Bloomington-Normal Officials Assoc. Hall of Fame in April 2002
NAIA District 20 Div. II Coach of the Year in 1990-91, 1991-92, and 1992-93
NAIA Coach of the Year Division II in 1994
College Sports Magazine NAIA Coach of the Year in 1993-94
Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Coach of the Year 1993-94
Annual Tri-County Sports Award for Male Coach of the Year in 1993

Road to Destiny: TWW was written by Dave. It is his autobiography. TWW stands for Together We Win, a slogan that Dave developed early in his career. He stuck to fundamentals and commanded respect from his team, believing that the connection each player had to other team members on and off the floor was paramount.