AlBrook Announces New Football Coach

Aug 5

Kerry Rodd-NSO

Fans of the AlBrook/Cotton football team will have a whole new era ushered in as Dan DuPay takes over the reins as head coach after the retirement of longtime Falcon coach Larry Anderson. DuPay, who played high school football at Hermantown, also played college football at Valley City State University in North Dakota.

“I couldn’t be more honored and humbled,” said DuPay via e-mail on Thursday. “Both schools have storied traditions of football history and I am proud to be asked to carry on those traditions.”

DuPay began his head coaching career at Mountain Iron-Buhl back in 1998-2002, the team that AlBrook/Cotton will face the second game of the season this fall. Following the stint at MI-B, DuPay went on to Duluth Central where he was an assistant for two years before moving over to Duluth Denfeld to be an assistant football coach and the head baseball coach for three seasons.

“After Denfeld, I was given the opportunity to coach in the collegiate ranks over the past two seasons, with Coach Greg Carlson at the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth,” explained DuPay. “That was perhaps the best coaching experience I could have had. It gives meaning to the phrase ‘no matter how much you know there is always more to learn’.”

One unusual situation that DuPay will face this season is the fact that because of AlBrook and Cotton combining their programs they will have to play 11-man football at playoff time, yet during the regular season they will play 9-man football.

“I look forward to the challenges of jumping back into high school football,” remarked DuPay. “Some immediate challenges are the fact that I need to learn the 9-man game and then have the team ready for the 11-man playoffs.”

The excitement is building as fall approaches and DuPay has made sure that he has kept the lines of communication open with former coach Anderson.

“Larry did a fantastic job with the program,” DuPay stated. “He is a stand up guy whom I have known outside of football for many years. Larry will be missed as he moves on to other facets of his life. I still give him the occasional call to ask him what he has done in the past with things.”

DuPay also went on to talk about how football is a game that teaches young people to handle life and that sports in general is the perfect way to teach children about the highs and lows in sports and how to translate those emotions from the field of play into how we handle life.

If first impressions are important then it looks like the AlBrook/Cotton football program is in good hands.

Kerry Rodd can be reached at kerry@northlandsportsonline.com