Torero twins take on senior year

Identical twins David and Daniel Tolbert share their University of San Diego football experience

Chris Spiering / Sports Editor / The USD Vista

Football started at an early age for the Tolbert twins. From playing Pop Warner in grade school, to high school and college football, the identical twins have been playing most of their lives. 

“I have been going to practice every August for the last 16 years,” David Tolbert said. “This has really been most of my life, and most of my best memories are on the football field.” 

Football training camp starts in August for almost every level. 

 “The August part is crazy,” Daniel Tolbert said. “Every time August comes around you just know that you have to get ready for football.” 

Before David and Daniel Tolbert arrived at the University of San Diego as first years, they didn’t know much about the history of the school’s football program. But the team, made up of mostly upperclassmen, brought them in and treated them like family from the start. David and Daniel knew that this was going to be the place for them. 

A typical day for a USD football player consists of being with their teammates either at school or at practice, meetings, and watching film. On certain days, the players wake up and go to weightlifting early in the morning. 

“We start with lifting weights at 7:15 in the morning,” Daniel said. “Next we shower and eat a quick breakfast. Then we have class up until practice, after that we have meetings, and on some days we have class after practice.”  

Ever since they were young, it was tough for people to tell the twins apart. Even coaches and teammates had trouble, but over time, it got easier.

“The good thing about sports is, we have numbers,” David said. “So people usually just remember you by your numbers.” 

But that isn’t always the case. The twins had their fair share of coaches not being able to tell them apart. 

“When we were young it happened all the time,” David said. “Coach used to just say ‘David-Daniel’ when he would want to call one of us, knowing one of us would look.” 

Aside from telling them apart, it’s easy to see them make plays on the football field. The Tolbert twins have a prominent role in the Torero defense. Their individual roles on the team are a huge boost for the defense. 

“I feel like I know the defense better than anyone else,” Daniel said. “I have to communicate more and I’m the last line of defense. I try to lead by example.” 

Daniel Tolbert plays safety for the Torero defense and David plays cornerback. They are both considered defensive backs. 

“My role here has grown over the years,” David said. “As a freshman, I was fortunate to play a little bit. I feel like a leader, I’m telling guys where to line up and calming guys down when I need to. I’m never going to get too riled up to where I get out of my own game. So that is what I try to pride myself on.”

Both the Tolberts strive to be leaders on the field and as seniors, they know that their roles on the team will benefit the other players. 

USD football is not a scholarship sport, so the players use that as a little extra motivation when playing schools that do offer scholarships to their football players

“Every time we play UC Davis, Cal Poly, even Harvard, you want to win that game because you know that they have something that you don’t have,” David said. 

Scholarship or no scholarship, the twins are here to play football. 

“It’s tough some days, especially since we do everything a scholarship school does,” Daniel said. “We just have to go out there and compete as if we were at those schools.” 

Last Saturday, USD defeated Harvard to give the Toreros their first win of the season. Daniel Tolbert sealed the win on defense with an interception late in the game. 

“It actually goes back to the sideline before we go on the field for the last time,” Daniel said. “Miles Wilson, number 99, told me to make a play. I was just reading the quarterback the whole way and saw that he was actually going to throw it. I actually cut in front of David and he still tells me that he should’ve had that interception, but it was just a cool play to help us win.” 

As David and Daniel start their senior year, they praise their time under head coach Dale Lindsey. 

“Coach Lindsey is definitely a guy that knows so much about football,” David said. “When he talks, you have to listen. But at the same time he is going to be tough on you, he might say some things that you don’t necessarily agree with, but at the end of the day it’s coming from a good heart. He is always looking out for us.” 

Lindsey strives for his team to be disciplined. 

“I like the discipline that goes along with the program,” Daniel said. “I have never played for an undisciplined team, so it’s nothing that I am not used to. Lindsey knows that discipline is the first step to being a good team.” 

David and Daniel know what USD has meant to them in their four years here.  

“This has been some of the best four years of my life,” David said. “Just the people I have met, some of my best friends who will probably be at my wedding. The bond we have in the locker room is what I love the most about being here. I’m definitely going to miss that next year.” 

You can catch the Tolbert twins in action this Saturday, Oct. 5 at 2 p.m. against PFL opponent Marist College at Torero Stadium during Homecoming Weekend.