Written by Gabe Burns, Sports Editor 

Last Tuesday, the landscape of Valdosta State’s sports scene changed.  Head football coach David Dean accepted a job offer at Georgia Southern University. Dean accepted a position as co-offensive coordinator for Tyson Summers’ new Golden Eagles staff.

“I’ve been coaching for 28 years, and 20 of those were spent at Valdosta State,” Dean said. “This is a special place, and the decision to leave was a very, very difficult one. Valdosta has a great community, and that’s something I’m going to miss greatly.”

After working at VSU from 1988-1991, Dean was an offensive assistant at West Georgia from 1992-1999.  Dean returned to Valdosta State as Chris Hatcher’s offensive coordinator in 2000.

Dean would remain the offensive coordinator for six years before becoming the head coach, following Hatcher’s departure. Hatcher also left for Georgia Southern.

From there, Dean would go on to coach the Blazers for nine seasons. He won a national title in his first season in 2007. His team would once again accomplish that feat in 2012.

Dean finished his coaching career at VSU with a 79-27 record, making him the winningest coach in VSU history.

“As I said before, Valdosta State is a special place, and it always will be,” Dean said. “I know this program will continue to roll and do well in the years to come.”

With Dean’s departure, the search for a new head coach has started.

Athletic Director Herb Reinhard is heading the search for a new coach. The last two Blazer coaches not only won national titles in their tenure, but progressively lifted the program to new heights, both on and off the gridiron.

“We will begin a search for a new head coach immediately and I am confident that we will find the right person to continue to build on our rich tradition of success at Valdosta State,” Reinhard said.