UWG Wolves | Athletic Programs | Official Athletics Site

David Dean became the 11th head coach in the history of UWG football in 2017, returning to a program where he was part of two Gulf South Conference championships and three trips to the NCAA Playoffs as an assistant in the 1990s. Now, as Dean kicks off the 2023 season, his 14th season as a head coach and fifth season at the helm of the Wolves' program, he does it as UWG's all-time winningest coach in program history.

In week four of the 2022 season, Dean and the Wolves were victorious against West Alabama, notching his 37th win in the red and blue, passing his longtime friend and mentor Charlie Fisher for most wins in UWG history.

Dean arrived in Carrollton in January 2017, on the eve of signing day, and led the Wolves to nine victories and a return to the NCAA Division II Playoffs in his first season. In his second season in 2018, West Georgia won 10 games and reached the playoffs for the fourth time in the past five seasons. In the second week of the season in 2019, Dean stepped even more into history, becoming the third coach in Gulf South Conference history with 100 wins in his career as the Wolves defeated Limestone on the road. In 2021, Dean went back to the second round of the NCAA Playoffs for the seventh time in his career, and after the historical 2022 season, he has a chance for even more history in 2023.

In his time at UWG and Valdosta State, Dean has amassed a record of 121-43, and needs just two wins in 2023 to move to second all-time in Gulf South Conference history. 
    
Since returning, Dean and his team has produced 40 All-Gulf South Conference selections and 16 All-Americans. Two players from his 2019 squad, John Hurst and Azouyah Alufohai signed undrafted free agent contracts in the National Football League.
    
Dean was no stranger to the Carrollton campus when he returned to UWG in 2017. He brought with him a resume that would rival any coach in the nation. As an assistant or as a head coach, David Dean and his football teams are winners. 
    
A former wide receiver at Georgia Tech, Dean got his introduction to the wars of Gulf South Conference football in 1988 when he began a four-year run on the staff at Valdosta State. In 1992, Dean moved to Carrollton for an eight-year run on the staff at West Georgia. That stint included the first winning season at the Division II level, the first NCAA D-II Playoff berth, and the program’s first two Gulf South Conference titles.
    
Dean departed UWG following the 1999 season, joining the staff of Chris Hatcher at Valdosta Sate. He spent seven seasons as the Blazers’ offensive coordinator, a run that included the 2004 NCAA Division II Championship.
    
In 2007 Dean ascended to the head coaching post at VSU. He had to assemble a coaching staff almost from the ground up as all but one fellow staff member moved on. The results were positive as Valdosta State posted a 13-1 record and won the program’s second national championship.
    
Five years later, Dean was back in the winner’s circle again. This time the Blazers lost twice in the regular season, but they were untouchable in the playoffs, averaging 42 points a game during a postseason march to a second national title.
    
That second national title with the Blazers put Dean in rare company.  College football has been played in the state of Georgia since the 1890s, and during that time only three football coaches in this state have won multiple national titles. Erskine Russell won three FCS crowns at Georgia Southern, while Paul Johnson followed him in Statesboro with a pair of championships of his own, and now it is also David Dean.
    
Dean’s run as head coach at Valdosta State covered nine seasons. Beyond the two national crowns, his Blazer teams posted an impressive record of 79-27, including a mark of 42-19 in games played with the nation’s best Division II conference, the Gulf South. His teams advanced to the NCAA Playoffs six times, and Dean’s postseason head coaching record is 13-6. 
    
The success of Dean’s Valdosta State program resulted in numerous individual plaudits. He captured American Football Coaches Association Division II Coach of the Year honors following both national titles. He was also named 2007 Coach of the Year by Schutt Sports, AFCA Regional Coach of the Year, and GSC Coach of the Year in 2010. 
     
Beyond his individual success, Dean’s VSU players captured the highest of honors. His VSU teams had 18 Division II All-America selections, while 10 players signed National Football League contracts. Dean also coached three players who earned GSC Freshman of the Year honors, two league players of the year, and a national defensive player of the year.
    
Clearly, David Dean has been linked to success throughout his 30-year coaching career. At UWG or at UWG’s biggest rival, the results are irrefutable: David Dean is a winner. His teams win and his program flourishes. 
    
Dean is a native of DeKalb County in the metro Atlanta area. He was born in Decatur, and enjoyed a stellar high school career for the Avondale Blue Devils. Dean arrived at Georgia Tech as a walk-on in 1982, but was awarded a scholarship the following season. He played wide receiver for the Jackets through the 1985 campaign.
    
Married to the former Stacie Stott, the Deans have three daughters: Caroline, Allison, and Natalie.