Officially, his name was Coach Dave Van Halanger.
But around the Georgia football facility, he was known as “Coach Van.”
It’s been said often the past two years that before Georgia reached its current status under Kirby Smart, it had first to be elevated by Mark Richt. Before Attack The Day, there was Finish The Drill, and that identity came from Van Halanger’s arrival in Athens in 2001 where he was strength and conditioning coach until 2010 prior to four more years in a support role.
A head of strength and conditioning is one of the most important hires a coach can make when starting a new role as head coach.