He played college football for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and won Super Bowl XL with the Pittsburgh Steelers, whom he signed with as an undrafted free agent in 2007.

He started 11 games in 2004, and was a first-team All-Northeast Football Conference selection and a preseason NJCAA Honorable Mention All-American.

Following junior college, Stapleton enrolled at Rutgers University, where he became the team's starting center in spring camps in 2005.

He also started the team's three playoff games, including the Super Bowl XLIII victory over the Arizona Cardinals.

After his brief stint as head coach of the New York Sharks, Darnell Stapleton returned to Rutgers for the position of offensive assistant in 2012.