Auburn University has named Mickey Dean the new head coach of Auburn Tigers Softball. Auburn Director of Athletics Jay Jacobs announced on Thursday that the former James Madison coach will be making his way to coach on the plains.
According to Auburn Athletics, Dean is highly regarded across the nation for his unprecedented knack for success and ability to develop strong student-athletes. Jacobs assured the Tiger fan base that Dean is a “great fit for Auburn.”
“Coach Dean’s accomplishments at JMU are remarkable. He’s won consistently at every level throughout his career. He’s done it the right way, winning with class and integrity while graduating his student-athletes at a high level. Auburn already has a winning program and we’re going to get even better.”
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Dean’s hiring comes after head coach Clint Myers retired on August 24 following Title IX complaints brought forth by several former players. Fans hope that Dean will bring a breath of fresh air to Auburn’s already successful softball program.
In his 11 years coaching at the collegiate level, Dean led seven teams to the NCAA tournament and won nine conference championships. His programs have produced 76 all-conference players, 40 all-region honorees and seven all-Americans. During his five years at James Madison, Dean led the Dukes to five 40-win seasons, including a respective 52 and 50 victories in his final two seasons. Such astounding accomplishments earned Dean the title of conference coach of the year eight times.
“It is an honor to be named the leader of the Auburn softball program,” Dean said. “I want to thank President Leath, Director of Athletics Jay Jacobs, and the Board of Trustees for the exciting opportunity to lead this program. The future is bright for Auburn softball. We want the fans to be as excited as we are to come out and watch the program represent them in the highest standing.”
A native of Elkton, Virginia, Dean was previously the head coach at Radford and an assistant at Akron (2001-2002), Indiana (2002-2004) and Longwood (2005-2006). He has also coached at the professional and international level with the Chicago Bandits and the Venezuelan National Team.
Dean graduated from Elon University in 1987, where he was a four-year letter winning baseball pitcher. He and his wife, Liz, have a son named Isaac and a daughter named Caroline.
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