ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Maryland – A U.S. Army civilian has molded 10-year-olds into winning football teams for almost three decades.
Dalys Talley Jr., the operations chief for the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives (CBRNE) Analytical and Remediation Activity, first started coaching his son’s football team, the Middle River Renegades, in 1995.
Talley has since led the Renegades to 13 championships. In his 27 years as their coach, his team has been in the championship 26 times. His current coaching record is 265 wins and 32 losses.
In 2009, he was selected as the Baltimore Touchdown Club Youth Coach of the Year.
Former players from his team are playing college and professional football today, including U.S. Naval Academy wide receiver Jayden Umbarger, University of Maryland running back Roman Hemby and New Orleans Saints wide receiver Deonte Harris.
In his hometown of Roxboro, North Carolina, Talley played wide receiver and safety with the Person High School “Rockets” before joining the U.S. Army as an enlisted infantry Soldier.
In addition to playing for the Rockets and coaching the Renegades, Talley also coached the flag football team on Fort Bragg, North Carolina, in 1980.
The Desert Storm veteran later became an enlisted Chemical Corps Soldier before being commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1984. He retired as a U.S. Army Chemical Corps captain in 1996 and went to work as the Army civilian assistant operations officer for the 22nd Chemical Battalion (Technical Escort) on Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland.
He has been at CARA since it was established in May 2007.
An all Army civilian activity headquartered on Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, CARA provides a world-wide emergency response capability for Recovered Chemical Warfare Material, remediation support for combatant commanders, technical escort of chemical materials and mobile laboratories.
CARA is part of the 20th CBRNE Command, the U.S. Department of Defense’s premier all hazards formation. Soldiers and civilians from 20th CBRNE Command deploy from 19 bases in 16 states to take on the world’s most dangerous hazards.
“Dalys Talley has 30 years of combined service with the Technical Escort Unit, 22nd Chemical Battalion and CARA. He is a great example of what an Army civilian can achieve both on the job and in the community,” said Franz J. Amman, the director of CARA. “His commitment to our mission is equal to his commitment to shaping young men’s lives on the field with hard work, sportsmanship and a can do attitude. He has molded winning teams throughout his entire career – in the Army and on the football field.”
Talley has also served as a deacon at New Hope Baptist Church in Bel Air, Maryland, since 2015. From preaching the gospel to dominating the gridiron, he credits his success in life to his faith.
“When we pray, the ball tends to bounce in our direction,” said Talley.
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