Senior Feature: Darius Hamilton
Nov 23 | Football
Darius Hamilton: The Captain
By Jimmy Gill
Rutgers has been playing football since 1869, but it was not until this season that the Scarlet Knights were led by a three-time captain. That captain is Darius Hamilton, a dedicated, team-first student-athlete who has achieved respect and success during his five years "On the Banks."
"I take it very seriously," Hamilton said of being voted a captain three times. "It's something that I'm very blessed to have. It's an honor to have your teammates and peers look at you in that light. But at the end of the day I'm just a guy that loves the game of football to death. I go out and give it everything I have for the people I play with."
Hamilton certainly lives and breathes the sport, but it was not always like that. He grew up in a football family, as his father, Keith, enjoyed a 12-year NFL career with the New York Giants. The defensive tackle picked up 63 sacks in his career.
"Believe it or not, I didn't really love the game at first when I was a little kid," the younger Hamilton said. "I felt like I was being pressured to play by my dad. That used to bother me at times. But the better I got at it the more I fell in love with it. I didn't like to go to practice; I was just like any other kid who just wanted to have fun and hang out with friends. It wasn't until I got older that I started to appreciate and love the game of football."
That success came quickly for the West Paterson, New Jersey, native at Don Bosco Prep. Hamilton was a key member of a team that won 46 consecutive games, secured multiple state championships and earned a No. 1 national ranking according to USA Today. Individually, Hamilton had 72 tackles with 21 sacks as a senior and was named Rivals National Defensive Player of the Year among other honors.
With all of the attention as a five-star recruit, Hamilton had a difficult decision to make about where to play college football. However, it was the voice of a high school teammate and Scarlet Knight commit at the time from the same class who pulled the defensive tackle to Rutgers.
"Leonte [Carroo] actually recruited me to come to Rutgers," Hamilton said. "At first I wasn't sure, but he got me out here on junior days and started spending a lot of time around the players and coaches. I truly believed in my heart that we could take this program to place where it's never been before."
Hamilton and Carroo, the Rutgers program record-holder in receiving touchdowns, would both play as true freshmen for a 2012 team that won a share of the Big East title and spent several weeks in the national rankings. That season also introduced Hamilton to the hard work and dedication it takes at this level.
"I was fortunate enough to come in 2012 where we had a great defense," Hamilton said. "We're talking about guys like Scott Vallone, who is someone I tried to be like. He was a student of the game and saw what he brought to the table. I got to be surrounded by guys like Ka'Lial Glaud, Marvin Booker, Khaseem Greene, Steve Beauharnais, Duron Harmon, Marcus Cooper, Brandon Jones. I saw how they went about their work every day and how they practiced, the mentality they practiced with, the enthusiasm they played football with, the passion, the energy. It was unforgettable to be around those guys."
That would springboard Hamilton into starting role as a sophomore. He would record a team-high 11.5 tackles-for-loss with 4.5 sacks to earn the Bender Trophy as the top defensive lineman on the team. Also his father's position, Hamilton was always a defensive lineman growing up and understands the importance of producing up front.
"It's a real transparent position," he said. "There's no gray area. You either get it done or you don't. It is one thing I love about football, 11 people must play in unison for it to work and come together. But you must do your job, especially up front. If you don't you'll end up getting embarrassed and people notice that. I love being able to go out there and compete with my teammates next to me. I give this game everything that I have. If the opposition doesn't do the same, then they're going to be in trouble."
It is that attitude that teammates noticed to vote Hamilton a captain for the first time in 2014 as a junior. He delivered with an honorable mention All-Big Ten season that ended with a victory in the Quick Lane Bowl. Hamilton led the defense with 11.5 tackles in the backfield as the team's Defensive MVP.
He looked to carry that momentum as a senior, but a lower body injury forced Hamilton to miss 11 games. Hamilton continued his leadership from the sidelines, but put in the work to prepare himself to come back after a medical redshirt.
"I think things have gone well especially after being in a position where I had people telling me that I would probably never play again," Hamilton said of his comeback. "It's a blessing to be able to be back out there and I don't take any of it for granted. That was probably the longest season of my life, not being able to play and be there for my brothers, coaches and this University. It's been a great time being back out there on that field and I think things have been going well. Every week I get healthier and healthier and getting back to feeling like my old self."
Now a three-time captain, Hamilton has set the standard on and off the field as the program transitioned to a new coaching staff. He recently changed his number as well to 75, the same number his father wore.
"Me and my dad have been through a lot," he said. "It was a way to repay him and thank him for everything he's done for me; for the times that he stood by me when no one else would. I'll honor him any way I can and I take great pride in that."
There are make things Hamilton can take great pride in during his journey as a Scarlet Knight.
"I want to be remembered as a kid who just loved the game and gave it everything he had while he was out there on that field; someone who gave everything he had for his brothers," he said. "I can hang my head on being known as a guy who played with the utmost passion and energy and went to work every day."
