Photo By Joseph Bullinger | 250523-N-GB257-1001 Goose Creek, SC (May 23, 2025)Darrell Denaux's impact spans from...... read more read more
The Lowcountry sun glistens off the freshly lined gridiron as the players run excitedly onto the field, fueling the feeling of small-town nostalgia and intense community spirit that is unmatched by a high school football game.
Amidst the whirlwind of frantic snaps, over-the-middle passes and intense emotions stands Darrell Denaux, a South Carolina high school football official whose quiet confidence was forged through years of managing Navy facilities critical to innovating, integrating and sustaining technology for America’s warfighters.
North Augusta was in town to face defending state champions, Goose Creek High School, coached by Chuck Reedy. On that sweltering August day, Denaux had taken off from work that morning to officiate his first scrimmage. Both teams had huge running backs, both of whom would go on to play college ball. Denaux was the umpire, positioned behind the defensive line in the center of the field.
"For two hours, both of the running backs were running at me," he said. "And I remember the sound and speed of them coming toward me because it is forceful."
Denaux describes the terrifying realization of needing to make those quick adjustments on the field and to get out of the line of impact.
“As officials, we are out on the field, too, and part of our job is building trust with the players. Many of them see us on a regular basis and start recognizing us and becoming more comfortable with talking with us.”
Similarly, Denaux makes quick, often stress-filled decisions every day within the infrastructure and resources that he manages for the Navy, decisions that also hinge on the trust he is building with the customers he serves.
"What a lot of people don't understand is that we're making decisions in a pressurized environment and in a timely fashion," he said. "And at work, similarly to officiating, I have department and competency heads that are like the 'coaches' for each of their teams. And I’m showing them ‘here are the financial rules, and ‘here are the construction rules’ so we can build that trust and keep the mission moving.”
As facilities director for the Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Atlantic, Denaux oversees the management, sustainment, renovations, and modernization of more than 120 naval facilities and an annual budget of $57 million.
NIWC Atlantic’s engineering facilities are the keystone to the command’s ability to deliver information warfare technology with speed and relevance to servicemembers positioned globally.
“Facilities is an enabler of NIWC Atlantic’s overall mission as a technological laboratory,” said Denaux. “Our team provides the physical security structures, electrical, mechanical and IT infrastructure necessary for our engineers and scientists to support the warfighter.”
With 15 years at NIWC Atlantic, Denaux carries both pride and humility in his role serving the infrastructure needs of a more than 5,000-strong civilian and military workforce — a job that both laid the groundwork and offered the pressurized leadership experience needed to pursue the task of high school officiating 13 years ago.
“Obviously, the magnitude of the pressure and impact of supporting the warfighter compared to managing a football game on a Friday night is very different, but, in the moment of on-field competition, the intensity and emotions of the competitors and coaches can be at the highest level,” he said.
Even during the coldest championship games, Denaux describes how player energy burns so powerfully that no one on the field is hampered by the freezing temperatures.
“In those moments of high intensity, I’ve learned that my emotions have to decrease to offset theirs, and I have to take control, set the tone and manage the moment.”
Long before the thought of being an official crossed his mind, Denaux was like most young boys growing up in the South with the desire and internal drive for the game.
“As Southern kids, you naturally gravitate toward playing high school football, and I'm no exception to that,” said Denaux.
Denaux played his two years at St. Andrews High School, now known as West Ashley High School, as an offensive lineman, but understood the reality and brevity of his time there.
“I didn't have any talent to go beyond my years as an offensive lineman, and most of us don't. And over the years, I shifted from player to passionate fan who enjoyed watching the game."
As a father to a girl who loved horses, Denaux describes how his life on the weekends was consumed for years at horse shows supporting her passion, which he cherished. After his daughter transitioned into high school, he found himself with more free time; Denaux felt the spark to reconnect with football in some capacity.
After making a few discovery calls, a local official connected him with an upcoming meeting that gave energy to this new trajectory and passion outside of his work for the Navy.
Denaux spent the next several months obtaining his South Carolina Football Officials Association certification, attending state official clinics and participating in several scrimmages to build his new skillset — one he describes as taking at least eight years to feel fully confident in.
Today, Denaux can see the impact of his work both on and off the field, with his role as an official providing him a path to connect and contribute to the South Carolina region and community.
“Being an official is a way for me to be involved in my local community and to have a positive impact on middle school and high school kids and teens,” he said. “While we are not actively competing in the game, officials can often feel the same intensity and excitement before and during the game that the players feel.”
The sense of community and belonging also rings true through his work for the Navy. Over the years, he has led his team through numerous critical construction projects to bring the latest technology laboratories online, supporting cyber defense, Marine Corps systems integration, artificial intelligence developments and more.
Beyond the projects, though, he describes the pride he feels in watching the success and accomplishments of the Facilities team.
“I'm most proud of the simple recognition that I will receive on behalf of the team for the little stuff and the day-to-day efforts," he said. "An email from another supervisor or workforce member telling me how well the Facilities team responded to a service call or how great the customer service was.”
Denaux may wear vastly different hats, both as an official and in support of the Navy's information warfare mission. Still, the complementing factors of talent and drive, learned from both aspects of his life, are serving the local community and the Department of Defense.
About NIWC Atlantic
As a part of Naval Information Warfare Systems Command, NIWC Atlantic provides systems engineering and acquisition to deliver information warfare capabilities to the naval, joint and national warfighter through the acquisition, development, integration, production, test, deployment, and sustainment of interoperable command, control, communications, computer, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, cyber and information technology capabilities.
| Date Taken: | 06.02.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 06.02.2025 14:15 |
| Story ID: | 499430 |
| Location: | CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 87 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Building Bridges: How a Navy Facilities Director Transforms Engineering Labs and Inspires Future Generations as High School Football Official, by Carmen Judge, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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