Friday Features: UWG's Dean Back in Place of Comfort
By Ed Hooper
David Dean admits he’s excited about being back in the Gulf South Conference. He’s also excited about being back in Carrollton, a place he left 18 years ago to rejoin rival Valdosta State.
That’s where Dean made a name for himself, being one of the top offensive assistants in Division II and quickly becoming one of the top head coaches in the game after leading the Blazers to a pair of national championships in 2007 and 2012
But after a tumultuous year in 2016, which saw Dean leave Valdosta State for an assistant coaching opportunity at a Division I program only to be let go months later before eventually being hired at UWG, Dean is finally settled back in to a place of comfort: Coaching college football in the Gulf South Conference.
“I think back sometimes and regret leaving Valdosta. That was a difficult situation I was put in,” said the 53-year-old Dean. “I was deceived a little bit. I regret leaving Valdosta. I do love that town and that school. Fortunately I ended up being in a great place. The Good Lord blessed me to coach in a great place like West Georgia, and blessed me to be back in the Gulf South Conference.”
Dean’s arrival in Carrollton isn’t all rainbows, though. He admits the year out of the GSC was difficult for himself and his family. It started in January 2016 when he accepted the wide receivers and co-offensive coordinator position at Georgia Southern. He, along with former Valdosta High coach Rance Gillespie, shared the coordinator duties.
But after the Eagles finished with a 5-7 record, Dean and Gillespie were let go. It was just over 10 months after being hired.
“It was tough; after I got there I went through a long period of time thinking, ‘why did I do this? What did I do?’” Dean said. “But I got to meet a lot of great guys and meet a lot of great coaches, who I am friends with today.”
One thing that made the year difficult for Dean was being away from his family. Dean’s wife, Stacie, stayed back in Valdosta with their two youngest children, as their middle child, Allison, was preparing for her senior year at Lowndes High School.
“It was very tough because there is no easy way to get back to Valdosta from Statesboro,” Dean said. “I was fortunate with where my recruiting area was in the Valdosta area, so when I was recruiting I always stopped in and saw them. Anytime you live apart, especially from your kids, and you miss that year, it was tough.…I missed Allison’s senior year at Lowndes High, and my youngest daughter (Natalie), she’s 12 now, I missed one of her middle school years.”
After leaving Statesboro, Dean admits he returned back to Valdosta and was on the look out for another opportunity in coaching. Knowing that jobs have become available as late as March or April in the past, Dean was optimistic. In the end, Dean wasn’t planning on being away from football in 2017, even if a coaching opportunity didn’t become available, saying he would’ve volunteered at a high school somewhere.
Luckily for Dean, former West Georgia coach Will Hall announced he was leaving the Wolves after three seasons to become the offensive coordinator at a Division I program.
Just a few days later, Dean was introduced as the new Wolves coach in late January. Dean, along with his family, made the move to Carrollton. He admits now that he is enjoying being back as a head coach, something he quickly realized he was missing in 2016.
“After I was at Southern for two to three weeks I realized how much I missed being a head coach,” Dean said. “I realized things were going on that I couldn’t control, and that I would do things differently…Seeing things happening that you don’t have control of is difficult. For me to be back in that position here, I’m enjoying it.”
Dean is focused on trying to bring a championship to Carrollton. He plans on taking advantage of top-tier facilities and a championship attitude set in place by Hall. And he’s eyeing a championship in year one.
“Every year you start you want to win a championship. Everything you do you channel toward making yourself and football team a championship team,” Dean said. “We have some guys who are very good football players here and we have some guys who don’t have a lot of depth. We have to have a lot of luck, obviously to win a championship you have to have that. They were so close for two years, hopefully we are going to build on that.”
Dean began his coaching career at VSU in 1988. He departed Valdosta the first time in 1992 and spent the next eight seasons at UWG before returning to Valdosta
. He spent nine seasons as the head coach for the Blazers, after serving the previous six years as an assistant under former coach Chris Hatcher. In his first season at the helm, Dean led the Blazers to a 13-1 record and a national championship. Five years later — in 2012 — the Blazers finished 12-2 and claimed another national championship under Dean’s guidance.
Overall, Dean has compiled an 81-28 (42-20 GSC) record as a head coach, which includes his first three games of this season at UWG (2-1).
Dean knows there will be challenges to go along with his return to UWG. One of them is facing his former team on Oct. 7, when the Blazers visit Carrollton. Dean admits he knows the game will be emotional, for both him, his former players and many people associated with the Blazer program.
One key component to the emotion Dean will feel is seeing so many people he still considers close friends from Valdosta. He also acknowledges he knows people in South Georgia are a little hurt he is no longer their coach.
“Well sure because I’m in the same perspective,” Dean said. “It hurt to watch them lose that first game against Albany State and Saturday against North Alabama. I want them to win every game, except when they play us. I still want the best for them. I want them to win every game. There are still a lot of guys I sat in their living room and recruited.
“I still pull for those guys and I have no animosity for them. When we play them it will be very difficult for me looking across that sideline and seeing a lot of people I know and call friends today.”
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