David Dean
Encyclopedia
David Dean is the football coach of Valdosta State University
and won a NCAA Division II Football Championship in 2007, his first year as a head coach.
. He was a graduate assistant for the team in 1986.
in 1987. He was an assistant at Valdosta from 1988 to 1992. From 1993 to 1999 he was an assistant at University of West Georgia
.
From 2000 to 2006 he was offensive coordinator for Valdosta. In his first season in 2000 his quarterback Dusty Bonner
won the Harlon Hill Trophy
. During this period Valdosta played in the Division II title game in 2002 and won the national championship in 2004.
took the head coaching job at Georgia Southern University
. The "Dean Machine" started the season with five straight wins. Delta State University
defeated the Blazers 35-31, despite being down 28 points at the beginning of the second half. The Blazers then capped off the season with an eight game winning streak and their second National Championship title win against Northwest Missouri State University
, 25-20. This was the third straight championship appearance by the Bearcats, also the third straight time the Bearcats have lost the National Championship game.
Dean is only the second head coach to lead his team to a National Championship in his first season. Earle Solomonson
accomplished this at North Dakota State University
in 1985.
2008 saw the Blazers make it to the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs and a 9-3 season, 6-2 in the GSC.
In 2009, after a 6-4 season in which they finished third in the Gulf South Conference, the Blazers did not make the post season for the first time under Dean, and for the first time since 2006.
Dean lead the Blazers to an 8-3 record and back into the NCAA Division II playoffs in 2010, marking the third time in his four years he has led his squad to postseason play. After beginning the year unranked, the Blazers rose as high as #7 in the AFCA poll, before finishing the regular season ranked #17.
in NCAA Division II in 2007 after a season culminating in a National Championship. Dean was a runner up for Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year in 2008 for Division II. In 2010 he was the AFCA Regional Coach of the Year for NCAA Division II Region 2 and the Gulf South Conference's Co-Coach of the Year.
Valdosta State University
Valdosta State University, also referred to as VSU, or Valdosta State, is an American public university and is one of the two regional universities in the University System of Georgia. Valdosta State is located on a campus at the heart of the city of Valdosta...
and won a NCAA Division II Football Championship in 2007, his first year as a head coach.
Playing career
Dean walked onto the Georgia Tech football team in 1982 and earned a scholarship the following year playing through the 1985 as a wide receiverWide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
. He was a graduate assistant for the team in 1986.
Coaching career
Dean was an assistant coach at Avondale High School in Avondale Estates, GeorgiaAvondale Estates, Georgia
Avondale Estates is a city in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The population was 2,960 at the 2010 census.Avondale Estates was founded in 1924 by George Francis Willis, who purchased the entire village of Ingleside to create a planned community. The city was named after Stratford-upon-Avon,...
in 1987. He was an assistant at Valdosta from 1988 to 1992. From 1993 to 1999 he was an assistant at University of West Georgia
University of West Georgia
The University of West Georgia is a comprehensive doctoral-granting university in Carrollton, Georgia, approximately 45 miles west of Atlanta, Georgia. The University is built on 645 acres including a recent land gift of 246 acres from the city of Carrollton in 2003...
.
From 2000 to 2006 he was offensive coordinator for Valdosta. In his first season in 2000 his quarterback Dusty Bonner
Dusty Bonner
Dusty Bonner is a former American football quarterback.He was a standout Harlon Hill Trophy winner in 2000 and 2001 while playing for Valdosta State University, and was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2002 by the Atlanta Falcons.-University of Kentucky:At Kentucky, Bonner was the backup...
won the Harlon Hill Trophy
Harlon Hill Trophy
The Harlon Hill Trophy is an award in American college football given to the individual selected as the most valuable player in NCAA Division II. The award is named for former University of North Alabama and National Football League player Harlon Hill...
. During this period Valdosta played in the Division II title game in 2002 and won the national championship in 2004.
Head coaching career
In 2007, Dean was named head coach of the Blazers in 2007 after Chris HatcherChris Hatcher
Chris Hatcher is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head coach at Murray State University, a position he has held since the 2010 season. Previsouly, Hatcher served as the head coach at Valdosta State University from 2000 to 2006 and at Georgia Southern University...
took the head coaching job at Georgia Southern University
Georgia Southern University
Georgia Southern University is a national public university located on a campus in Statesboro, Georgia, USA. Founded in 1906, it is part of the University System of Georgia and is the largest center of higher education in the southern half of Georgia offering 117 academic majors in a comprehensive...
. The "Dean Machine" started the season with five straight wins. Delta State University
Delta State University
Delta State University, also known as DSU, is a regional public university located in Cleveland, Mississippi, United States, in the heart of the Mississippi Delta...
defeated the Blazers 35-31, despite being down 28 points at the beginning of the second half. The Blazers then capped off the season with an eight game winning streak and their second National Championship title win against Northwest Missouri State University
Northwest Missouri State University
Northwest Missouri State University is a state university in Maryville, Missouri. Founded in 1905 as a teachers college, it offers both undergraduate and graduate programs. The campus, based on the design for Forest Park at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, is the official Missouri State Arboretum....
, 25-20. This was the third straight championship appearance by the Bearcats, also the third straight time the Bearcats have lost the National Championship game.
Dean is only the second head coach to lead his team to a National Championship in his first season. Earle Solomonson
Earle Solomonson
-External links:*...
accomplished this at North Dakota State University
North Dakota State University
North Dakota State University of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, more commonly known as North Dakota State University , is a public university in Fargo, North Dakota. NDSU has about 14,000 students and it is the largest university in North Dakota based on full time students and land size...
in 1985.
2008 saw the Blazers make it to the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs and a 9-3 season, 6-2 in the GSC.
In 2009, after a 6-4 season in which they finished third in the Gulf South Conference, the Blazers did not make the post season for the first time under Dean, and for the first time since 2006.
Dean lead the Blazers to an 8-3 record and back into the NCAA Division II playoffs in 2010, marking the third time in his four years he has led his squad to postseason play. After beginning the year unranked, the Blazers rose as high as #7 in the AFCA poll, before finishing the regular season ranked #17.
Awards and honors
Dean was AFCA Coach of the YearAFCA Coach of the Year
The AFCA Coach of the Year award is given annually to a college football coach by the American Football Coaches Association . The award has had several different sponors over the years, including Eastman Kodak Corporation, and thus also been named the Kodak Coach of the Year Award.-Football Bowl...
in NCAA Division II in 2007 after a season culminating in a National Championship. Dean was a runner up for Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year in 2008 for Division II. In 2010 he was the AFCA Regional Coach of the Year for NCAA Division II Region 2 and the Gulf South Conference's Co-Coach of the Year.