Former assistant William Dean hired to lead Tipton-Rosemark football into the future

For the second straight season there will be a new man leading the Tipton-Rosemark Academy football program.

William Dean, who was a TRA varsity assistant and middle school head coach the last three seasons, was promoted to head coach last month. He replaces Shannon O’Brien, who retired after one season as the Rebels’ head coach.

Dean, 26, moved here three years ago after working as an assistant coach at North Delta School, a small private school in Batesville, Miss.

“For starters, I think TRA is a great community, a family atmosphere,” Dean said. “I wasn’t from around here but they took me in and treated me like their own. My wife and I found a home here.”

He said that having coached most of the varsity players when they were in middle school should be an advantage.

“It seemed like a good opportunity and a good challenge for a young guy like myself. Creating new traditions and establishing a program here at Rosemark was a chance I jumped at.”

Rosemark went 2-7 last season and missed the playoffs for the first time in seven years. Several linemen return this season, as does senior quarterback Payne Fullen, who passed for 1,004 yards last season and led the team with 772 rushing yards.

O’Brien went from a wing-T offense to a spread last season. Dean said he is in the process of figuring out what the offense will look like in the fall.

“I have an idea what I want to do,” Dean said. “To tell you the truth, I’m a personnel guy. If the personnel doesn’t dictate we can do something we’re just not going to do it. I have a plan that is spread-oriented, but if we go out there and the pieces don’t fit, we’re going to roll with something different.”