Dickinson hires new football coach

DICKINSON — A little more than a month after the announced retirement of legendary Dickinson football coach Warren Trahan, the Gators have found a proven leader to take his place.

The Dickinson Independent School District Board of Trustees approved the hiring of John Snelson as the new athletic director and head football coach for Dickinson ISD at a special meeting at McAdams Junior High on Monday night.

The board met with Snelson in executive session for less than an hour and passed the hiring by a unanimous 7-0 vote.

“Dickinson ISD has a vision to have top-notch facilities and a top-notch program, and I’m more than excited to help them accomplish it,” Snelson said. “Being the head coach of a one-horse town where everybody grows up wanting to be a Gator is a dream come true — it seemed like a no-brainer.”

Snelson replaces Trahan, who announced his retirement in December, and acting athletic director Tom Mooney, who has accepted the position of Director of Purchasing in the Dickinson ISD business office.

“We knew we needed to attract the best candidate possible,” Mooney said. “That’s our responsibility to make it the most attractive position available, and we added the athletic director title to do just that.”

Mooney spoke highly of Snelson’s leadership qualities and said he’s a likable coach who the kids will respect. Snelson was the Pasadena Memorial head football coach from 2006 until the 2011 season when the Mavericks were 3-8 and 2-3 in district play, the first season he failed to make the playoffs as a head coach.

Pasadena Memorial, which began varsity play in 2004, went 43-37-1 in six seasons under Snelson. He guided the Mavericks to five winning seasons and five playoff berths, including a 2009 area-round loss to Clear Springs.

“I’ll bring an exciting brand of offense to Dickinson, but our goal is a 50/50 run/pass offense,” Snelson said. “I’m very excited about getting started.”

Snelson’s Mavericks won the Touchdown Club of Houston’s Class 5A Sportsmanship Award for the 2010 season, and he will serve as the offensive coordinator for the State of Texas in the Bayou Bowl under head coach Mike Jackson of La Marque.

“Dickinson couldn’t have possibly found a better guy to hire,” Jackson said of Snelson.

“He’s a great coach with a great track record for success.”

Snelson’s son, Bo, plays running back at the Naval Academy and will serve as the offensive team captain in the fall. Snelson played football and baseball at Southwest Baptist in Bolivar, Mo., and has been married to his wife, Mandy, for 23 years.

They also have two younger daughters, Clare, a freshman at the University of Houston and Samantha, a sophomore who has a knack for hurdling at Pasadena Memorial.

Snelson earned an annual salary of $86,518 as the Pasadena Memorial High School Campus Athletic Coordinator and head football coach last year. Dickinson ISD Superintendent Vicki Mims said his salary at Dickinson has yet to be negotiated, but she speculated that it will be in the high-90s range.

“We wanted to act quickly but not hastily,” Mims said. “We think he’s the above-and-beyond candidate to take over our athletics program and football team.”