After working with players at his camps and with college players in Japan over the years, the desire to become a head football coach got stronger for Brian Derby.

The former University of Hawai'i offensive lineman said yesterday he was hired as Damien Memorial School's varsity football coach. He succeeds Dean Nakagawa, whose contract was not renewed after last season. Nakagawa had been coach or co-coach with Rudy Alejo at Damien since 2002.

Derby, 43, played at UH from 1982 to 1985. He was a graduate assistant coach to then-UH coach Dick Tomey in 1986. He also was an assistant at Punahou School during Dan Morrison's tenure and at Kaua'i High under Keli'i Morgado.

Derby also coached at Hosei University in Japan the last 10 years, and was a part of three national championship teams. He also is known for his camps for offensive linemen, which he has been coordinating here for the last 10 years. But this will be his first stint as a head coach.

"I never thought about it because I've always been active in the college ranks coaching," said Derby, a Pearl City High alumnus. "Working at my camps kept me wanting to coach more and more, just seeing those kids and building the relationships with those kids. That's the main thing out of this whole experience as an assistant is all the relationships you build. These are lives you're going to touch forever."

His camps have been like an evolutionary process, where youth leaguers progressed to high school all-stars and then to college All-Americans. Even NFL players such as Olin Kreutz and Dominic Raiola have participated in Derby's camps.

Derby inherits a program that has had only two winning seasons — 1975 (6-5) and 1988 (7-5) — in its 42 years of competition.

"It's a great challenge," said Derby, a firefighter for 18 years. "It's a point in my life where it's something I gotta do. I feel confident about taking this job."

Derby is in the process of putting together his staff, which includes hiring a junior varsity coach. Damien will be reviving its JV program after dropping it during the 1990s. There were 50 freshmen playing at the school's intermediate team last season.

"My main concern is the kids and their academics as student-athletes," Derby said. "That's why I want coaches who are going to stress student-athletes being good people, being respectful and being disciplined. The school has a good foundation and it's been there long before me and it will be there a long time after me. If those kids keep up what the school wants you to be as a person, we won't have a problem at all. It should be fun."

His brother, Terry Derby, is a varsity baseball coach at Damien.

Reach Stacy Kaneshiro at skaneshiro@honoluluadvertiser.com.