With her team smashing a 74-57 against Texas Longhorns in the Final Four, Coach Dawn Staley is in the spotlight again. The South Carolina Gamecocks coach has put the side on top in recent years, with three finals in the last four seasons. It’s fair to say she has built a ‘Dawn Dynasty’ with three titles and one with AN unprecedented, undefeated record just a season ago—a legacy achieved in her short time in South Carolina.

Interestingly, the region is already used to great performances from Staley. Not Dawn though. NFL star Duce Staley. The star started his football career in South Carolina and now has made a name for himself in the big league. Now with two highly accomplished individuals, sharing the same surname might raise familiar questions in fans’ minds: Are they related?

What is the relation between Dawn Staley and Duce Staley?

In spite of the theories and rumors, Dawn Staley is not related to Duce Staley. But if we’re looking for any connection between these two public figures, there is a tiny association to the state of South Carolina.

The 54-year-old South Carolina HC was born to Clarence and Estelle Staley who were natives of South Carolina. However, she grew up in Philadelphia along with her four siblings. While she played for the University of Virginia in her college days, she led her team to the Final Four three time back-to-back. And now, the Hall of Famer is extending her influence and skills as the head coach of the South Carolina team.

As for the NFL star Duce Stanley, he was committed to the South Carolina football team for two seasons. During his time with the program, he recorded 1,852 yards and 19 total touchdowns as a running back. After all, he was an All-State wide receiver during his high school days.

Did Dawn Staley show support to Duce Staley during his time with the Philadelphia Eagles?

Yeah, so there is no direct relation between Dawn and Duce Staley. But in the small world of sports, the established stars know each other. Dawn Staley and Duce Staley, while not directly related, consider each other “distant, distant” family members and have a strong connection through their shared love for the Philadelphia Eagles, with Duce saying Dawn gives him “Great words throughout the week“.

On the other hand, Dawn Staley has shown support for the former Panthers’ assistant HC online by posting a photo of her wearing a Philadelphia Eagles jersey, back in 2018.

Dawn, of course, is a fan of the Eagles, and Duce spent most of his playing and coaching years with the team, which is a major point of connection between them. At the time, he was the head coach of the Eagles, winning Super Bowl LII over the New England Patriots.

What does Duce Staley do now? Which team is he coaching?

Duce Staley had a successful career as a player and coach (running backs and assistant) of the Philadelphia Eagles, winning the Super Bowl LII, After a successful stint at the Philly side, he moved to the Detroit Lions in 2021, later took his expertise to the Carolina Panthers in 2023 before joining the Browns as their running backs coach in 2024.