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| Louisiana College athletics photo by Todd Ryals |
Louisiana College announced that athletic director and football coach Dennis Dunn has accepted the head coaching position at Pineville (La.) High School, effective immediately.
"I am grateful for my years at LC," Dunn said. "The coaches and the hundreds of players that have come through our program have impacted me eternally. One of our sayings through the years has been, 'leave it better than you found it.' I believe we have done that."
Louisiana College president Rick Brewer said, "We all owe Coach Dunn a debt of gratitude for putting our football program on the map. He has demanded excellence from his student-athletes athletically and academically. But most important, he has expressed his deepest interest for our students' spiritual development. We commend Dennis for his years of service to LC, and know that he will continue with the same personal standards in his new role at Pineville High School."
The school did not name an interim coach.
In 11 seasons as the Wildcats head man, Dunn compiled a 65-45 record, four American Southwest Conference runner-up finishes, and a NCAA Tournament appearance in the 2012 season. He led the Wildcats to seven consecutive winning seasons from 2008 to 2014.
In 2011, the Wildcats posted their fourth consecutive 7-3 record, which, at the time, equaled the best mark the program had produced since its rebirth in 2000. That year they earned a third-place finish in the highly competitive ASC. The 2011 Wildcats also made history by receiving a top-25 national ranking for the first time in school history, climbing as high as number 19 in the nation.
The 2012 season was the finest in the program history. LC posted their first eight-win season in school history and made their only appearance in the NCAA Division III playoffs. Dunn was named the 2012 ASC Coach of the Year and the Wildcats placed 20 players on the ASC All-Conference Team that season. Five players landed on the D3football.com All-South Region Team, and senior receiver D'Mario Parker was named an All-American.
Through the years, Dunn's teams have produced 24 D3football.com All-South Region selections, and seven All-Americans. He has had two quarterback's pass for over 10,000 yards, three running backs rush for over 2,000 yards, and five receivers go over 2,000 receiving yards in their careers.
Dunn will return to the high school ranks for the first time since 2005, after turning Shreveport's Evangel Christian Academy into a state powerhouse.
"Just as there are seasons in football, there are seasons in life," Dunn said. "My season at Louisiana College has come to an end and a new one at Pineville High is beginning. I'm proud of the All-Americans I've coached and the guys who went on the play in the NFL, but I'm even more proud of the men who have left here to become champions in life. I look forward to continuing to build champions on and off the field."