HIS OWN STAR

When a son has the same name as his famous father, he must endure the inevitable comparisons and expectations while trying to forge his own identity.

Darian Hagan, a 15-year-old free safety at Los Angeles Crenshaw, keeps learning how recognizable his name is in City Section football.

Referees, fans, parents and sportswriters all ask the same question: Are you related to the Darian Hagan? Yes, Hagan is, indeed, the son of one of the most athletic and gifted City quarterbacks from the 1980s.

Hagan’s father graduated from Locke in 1988 and went on to compile a 28-5-2 record as a starter at Colorado, where he became the sixth player in NCAA history to rush and pass for more 1,000 yards in 1989. He was a ninth-round draft choice of the San Francisco 49ers and played five years in the Canadian Football League.

The son is bigger than his father, standing 6 feet 1, 175 pounds. He might one day be faster too. The younger Hagan was a member of Crenshaw’s 400-meter relay team that finished fourth in the state last spring when he was a sophomore. As a junior free safety, he leads the area with eight interceptions.

On Friday, it was an emotional homecoming of sorts for Hagan, whose Crenshaw team defeated his father’s alma mater, 51-0, in a Coliseum League game. The father would have enjoyed watching the game, but he lives in Colorado, where he’s a defensive technical intern for the Colorado Buffaloes’ football team.

Asked before the game whether he was rooting for Crenshaw or Locke, the elder Hagan said: “I always wish my alma mater luck, but in this case, I have to go against them. Blood is thicker than allegiance.”

The father continues to be impressed with his son’s development.

“His upside is tremendous,” he said. “I think he’ll be a cornerback in college. He’s got long arms, reads quarterbacks and has a future. He has football smarts.”

E.C. Robinson, the football coach at Los Angeles University who coached the father at Locke, said: “I watched the kid play in Pop Warner and knew he had some of the skills his dad had. Hagan was a legend in high school, and [the son] has to carry it on.”

The son understands his father’s reputation and isn’t afraid to take it on.

“I’m very happy with my name,” he said. “I love my father and appreciate the things he does for me.”

Hagan lives with his mother and stepfather in Los Angeles but speaks often with his father by phone. He learned about his father’s football success by watching video of him.

“I’ve seen a lot of tape,” he said. “I was impressed how fast he was and how he was able to get away from people. He could throw 70 yards. If he could have been bigger, he’d be in the NFL today.”

As a high school player, Hagan’s father was considered among the best college prospects in California during the 1987 season.

“He’s one of the greatest kids I’ve coached,” Robinson said. “He could play defensive back, quarterback, wide receiver -- he did it all.”

Now the son is making a name for himself with his defensive skills. A starter since his sophomore season, Hagan uses his speed to provide support for a Crenshaw defense loaded with NCAA Division I-A prospects.

“I’m more comfortable with myself,” he said. “I’m more relaxed. I think we have the greatest linebackers in the City, so I do my job and let them do theirs.”

The elder Hagan doesn’t think his son has any trouble dealing with name recognition. He recalled asking him years ago who is idol was.

“He said, ‘Deion Sanders.’ Right then, I knew he had his own identity. He had his head on straight. He can’t be influenced by his namesake,” he said.

Hagan was excited about playing Locke because he knows the coaches and players.

“A lot are my friends,” he said.

Said Locke Coach Wayne Crawford: “You wish he was here to continue his father’s legacy. I get excited watching him play. He’s going to be one of the better kids in the City next year. He’s got his father’s instincts and father’s football ability.”

So far, Hagan seems to have the right attitude in seeking his own success in football.

“I have to make my name,” he said. “[My father] made the name for me, and I have to do my job to keep it going. It’s inspiring and motivating at the same time.

“I want to be able to get to the next level and have as much success as he did and get past that level.”