TSU Football Hall of Famer Darrel Colbert returns to his alma mater as the team’s director of football operations.
 
One of the best ever to don the maroon and gray, Colbert lettered four years (1983-86) under former head coach Lionel Taylor and was one of the first teams in the SWAC to emphasize the pass. Colbert was one of the top wide receivers in the country during that span as he finished his career as TSU’s all-time leader in receptions (215), touchdowns scored (32) and is second all-time in receiving yards (3,177). He is also among the top five career receiving leaders in the SWAC as he and teammate Donald Narcisse held the NCAA Division I-AA record for two players with the most career passes (420) until 2006. Colbert was named the 1983 SWAC Freshman of the Year and is a four-time All-SWAC honoree. He was also named MVP in the first Labor Day Classic game against Prairie View A&M in 1985.
 
Colbert played five years of professional football after leaving TSU. He played for the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs from 1987-88 and was the only rookie to earn a roster spot before moving on to play with the New Orleans Saints. He ventured north of the border and participated in the Canadian Football league (CFL) with the British Columbia Lions and the Edmonton Eskimos before concluding his career with the San Antonio Riders of the World League of American Football.
 
Colbert would finish as the team’s leading receiver with 464 yards and second on the team with 33 receptions in addition to holding the team’s longest play from scrimmage in 1992 with a 63-yard catch.  He returned to Houston after his retirement and served as a firefighter before returning to TSU as the team’s wide receivers coach during the 2009 and 2010 campaigns.
 
A native of Beaumont, Texas, Colbert attended West Brook High School and was a member of the 1982 5A State Football Championship team, coached by the nephew of former TSU head coach Alexander Durley. Colbert has been married to the former Jocie Chaisson for 29 years and is the proud father of daughters Dakeemia (32), Jazmyne (28) and one son, Darrel Jr. (23). They also have two nieces, Adrianna and Ashley.