From the buzz I’ve heard around Dickinson’s new athletic director and football coach John Snelson, the guy is a winner.
“Dickinson couldn’t have possibly found a better guy to hire,” La Marque coach Mike Jackson said of Snelson. “He’s a great coach with a great track record for success.”
And it didn’t stop there among praise from Galveston County coaches.
“He is a great hire, a great coach and a great mentor for kids,” Clear Springs coach Clint Hartman said.
The people behind the hire couldn’t have been more pleased with Snelson.
“We think he’s the above-and-beyond candidate to take over our athletics program and football team,” Dickinson ISD Superintendent Vicki Mims said.
Dickinson running back Tyrell Preston is stopped by the Brazoswood defense last fall at Sam Vitanza Stadium in Dickinson. The district has tapped John Snelson to be Dickinson’s new athletic director and football coach for the upcoming year. Photo by Kevin M. Cox Snelson inherits a program at the perfect time.
He failed to make the playoffs for the first time in six years last year. The Gators had a similar streak come to an end in 2011. Their union could be just what the two entities need for success.
Leaving his hometown of Pasadena wasn’t easy for Snelson. People said he’d never leave Pasadena Memorial, and it was very emotional for him to come to terms of leaving. But at the end of the day, becoming an athletic director and head football coach at a program like Dickinson was too good to pass up.
Dickinson has some of the best facilities in the state, and there’s some serious talent on the way in the next few years. Snelson is poised for success.
Are you excited about the hire? I think Snelson is a coach — like Jackson — that the community can place its trust in and rally around. He’s replacing a 200-win coach in Warren Trahan, and he will coach his 100th game as a head coach at the end of the upcoming season. He’s sitting on 43 wins right now.
What’s the ceiling for Snelson in Dickinson? Better yet, what’s the floor?
I think he’ll be here, finding ways to win, for a long time to come.
