Archive: 7/10/2009 11:01 PM
7/10/2009


Adrien Cole Earns Spring Game Award at LA Tech

April 14, 2009

RUSTON -- Louisiana Tech head coach Derek Dooley handed out the annual Spring Awards during halftime of Saturday's T-Day Spring Game held at Joe Aillet Stadium.

The four awards presented each spring are the Dawg Fight Award, the Surprise of Spring Award, the Big Lick Award and the Fourth Quarter Award.
The recipients of the Dawg Fight Award which goes to the individuals that demonstrate the best physical and mental conditioning were offensive lineman Jared Miles and cornerback Josh Victorian.

The Big Lick Award is presented to the players who consistently play with the most physical toughness during the spring. This year's recipients were tight end Dennis Morris and linebacker Adrien Cole.

The recipients of the Surprise of Spring Award which is presented to the individuals who caught the eye of the coaches during the spring and proved they have the ability to be a valuable contributor next season were tight end Chandler Spence, offensive lineman Michael Lacy, defensive lineman Philip Longino and safety Shawn Simmons.

The Fourth Quarter Award is presented to the individuals who consistently play with the intangibles that are the foundation of the Bulldog Program - Attitude, Discipline, Toughness, Effort and Team.

This year's recipients of the Fourth Quarter Award were running back Daniel Porter, offensive lineman Cudahy Harmon, safety Antonio Baker and safety Tarence Calais.


McGill-Toolen names Mike Dean as head football coach, athletic director

Saturday, March 14, 2009

A familiar face returned to McGill-Toolen on Friday as the school's new football coach.

Former defensive coordinator Mike Dean has been hired as the Yellow Jackets' head football coach and athletic director. Dean spent three years as a defensive assistant at McGill-Toolen under Steve Savarese and Keith Powell before serving as head coach at Class 3A Daleville last season.

Dean, 37, said his experience at McGill — where he already knows most of the faculty, coaches and players — will be "huge" as he transitions back to the 6A private school.

"It's good to be home," Dean said Friday. "When I got the job at Daleville, you're starting over. I basically took the McGill system to Daleville. That system is still in place at McGill. The only difference is I'm the head coach."

Dean becomes the third football coach hired by a local school in the past 11 days, following the hiring of Jimmy Perry at St. Paul's and David Faulkner at Fairhope.

Dean replaces Powell, who resigned last month amid health problems. Powell said he suffered a mild stroke earlier this year — likely triggered by stress — but he hopes to recover and return to coaching.

McGill officials put together a search committee and interviewed six finalists, school president Father Bry Shields said, and Dean quickly emerged as the top choice.

Under Dean, the Yellow Jackets' defense was one of the state's best, Shields said, adding that Dean impressed school officials with his coaching ability and as a motivator.

"In the end, we chose coach Dean because of the success we had when he was here, and we feel he will be one of the best coaches to come through the ranks of high school football," Shields said. "And we want him to do that at McGill-Toolen."

Shields declined to identify the other five finalists or divulge Dean's salary.

Dean spent two years as a defensive assistant under Savarese, serving as the defensive coordinator at the same time Powell was the offensive coordinator. He spent another year running the defense on Powell's staff.

Daleville finished 9-4 last season, losing to T.R. Miller 21-20 in the Class 3A quarterfinals. The season included a 21-17 first-round playoff victory over Bayside Academy.

Before his earlier stint at McGill, Dean coached at Fairhope, Shades Valley and Theodore.

Coaching is a family business for Dean, whose late father, Joe, is best known for serving as Fairhope's head coach four different times between 1977 and 1995, as well as earlier head coaching stints at UMS-Wright and McGill-Toolen.

"You prepare your whole life to be a head coach," he said. "It's like my dad used to say: You don't just wake up one day and decide to do it. I've been preparing my whole life."

Dean met McGill's players Friday morning and he said the reunion went well. He said he plans to serve as his own defensive coordinator while also having a hand in the offense and special teams.

In a fortunate twist, the Deans' home in Daphne never sold, so they will return there in the coming weeks.

By JOSH BEAN Sports Reporter