tom.mark@gaflnews.com



ADEL – Following a unanimous vote by the Cook Board of Education approving principal Chuck Bell’s recommendation, assistant coach George Dean has accepted the position of Cook High head football coach.

Dean succeeds Michael Pollock who resigned earlier this year.

“There are a multitude of reasons why George was our first choice,” said Bell Tuesday afternoon. “I don’t think we’d have found a more qualified candidate if we had conducted an extensive search.

“George has an abundance of experience.”

Dean joined the Cook High staff three seasons ago as the defensive coordinator. During his first two seasons as the head of the defensive unit, the Hornets advanced to the AA state semifinal game at Atlanta’s Georgia Dome.

This past season Pollock named newcomer to the staff, Rodney Turner, as the defensive coordinator and made Dean the offensive coordinator.

Prior to coming to Georgia, Dean was a successful head coach in Florida leading Buchholz High of Gainesville to the AAAAA state championship in 1990. He was the defensive coordinator of the Godby team that won the state title in 1976. In 1981 Dean’s Mosley High team from Panama City was the state runner-up.

Dean is a two-time Florida High School Coach of the Year.

“I spent 30 years in Florida and I hope to spend 30 years here,” Dean said.

“We’ve got an excellent staff on board here all ready.”

Dean’s immediate plans are to fill a couple of vacancies on the staff and get everyone heading in the same direction.

“We’ll get the staff together and get everybody on the same page,” Dean added.

“Doing it for the kids has become sort of a cliche’,” said Bell, “but for George, doing it for the kids has become the fact of the matter.”

“Since coming here two and a half years ago, George has worked hard for the betterment of the program and the best thing for the program now is for George to become the head coach.”