Coaching with compassion: Deiros looks back on 24 years at FGCU
- Rick Weber
- Athletics
- Contributors: Nick DeCastro, Photos
6 – minute read
To understand the impact Dave Deiros had in 24 years as Florida Gulf Coast University’s head softball coach, you have to go beyond the numbers — the school-record 62 wins in 2007, the upset of No. 5-seeded Florida in the 2012 NCAA Tournament that was the first win for any FGCU team in a D-I championship, the five ASUN Players of the Year.
They’re impressive. And if that’s all “DD” did, he would be celebrated as he leaves his coaching position at this season’s end and transitions into an athletics administration leadership role. But his humanity and compassion are elements of his legacy that perhaps only his players and those inside FGCU Athletics could know about.
When he was recruiting Courtney (Platt) Pohlman during her senior year at Gulf Coast High School in Naples, she was experiencing personal hardship.
Her father was laid off during the Great Recession and her family lost their house. Her plan to attend FGCU and commute to campus collapsed because their new house was too far away, so her athletic scholarship ended up covering a substantial amount of the cost of housing. Deiros also pursued all avenues to ensure that her books were paid for and she had a meal plan.
“I greatly appreciated the financial assistance,” says Pohlman, a 2008-11 team member who has been inducted into FGCU Athletics’ and the Atlantic Sun Conference’s Halls of Fame. “I was a bit of a mess as a new graduate with so many life changes. It was also incredibly kind that he would frequently check in and ensure my well-being. He’d say something like, ‘Platty, I’m thinking about you. Just want to make sure you’re doing all right.’ I will never forget that.
“DD was there for me, no matter what. On the field, he helped me become a better leader and athlete. In the classroom, my major (biology) came with a very challenging course load. I’m thankful for the time he took to tutor me during busy seasons. Many times, that involved reviewing textbooks on the bus ride to and from away games.”
Says 2003-05 player and FGCU Hall of Famer Ashley (Cecil) Spencer, “Coach Deiros is someone I consider a friend. I had the opportunity to not only play for him at the high school and collegiate level, but have also been on his coaching staff at various times over the years. He has been my mentor since I was 15.”
Coach and chemistry instructor
Deiros says he will profoundly miss the grind of preparing, implementing and adapting a game plan for his team and isn’t sure how he can replicate that. And that aspect of his persona was legendary to his players, with Spencer saying that his background as a chemistry instructor led him to study the game “to a degree that few people do.”
But he says he’ll miss the relationships he forged with his players more than anything.
“Their energy, enthusiasm and camaraderie are contagious,” he says. “You can’t come to practice and not feel invigorated by them. Watching them develop as players, professionals and teammates is the most gratifying part of my job.”
But in the very beginning, first he had to find players. When Deiros took the job in 2001, recruiting visits to FGCU were, well, unique. Athletics offices were situated in trailers next to the tennis courts — which were the only sports facilities on campus. No softball stadium, or even a weight room. Just a few academic buildings and five residence halls.
“FGCU had been open for less than five years so nobody knew who or where we were, let alone that we had a softball team,” Deiros says. “We could not offer athletic scholarships to recruits, and academic scholarships were not as readily available as they are now. We had to work hard to sell the vision President Bill Merwin and AD Carl McAloose had for FGCU to get student-athletes to commit to our plans. And they did.”
Committed to improving lives
In 2003, the program’s first year, Spencer set the record for single-season batting average (.486) that still stands. “Since we had a lot of changes and adjustments during our early seasons, Coach came up with ‘Audible’ as our motto. Since things could and did change without notice, we learned to embrace those as a part of our journey.”
Pohlman, who played on FGCU’s first NCAA Division I team in 2008, says she saw a man who was flexible yet unwavering in his approach and determined not just to succeed but to positively influence players.
“We were never eligible for postseason play, but that never upset me,” she says. “I saw in him what I believe FGCU saw when they hired him — someone committed to improving the lives of others. DD was not only an incredible coach but a brilliant professor and a good friend. It’s been exciting to see the growth of the university over the years. It’s truly incredible that a lot of that progress can be attributed to DD’s contributions.”
That legacy was celebrated during his final home series May 2. Someone else will be calling the audibles. Someone else will be teaching life lessons.
But part of Deiros’ new role will actually be to ease the transition to a new head softball coach. He’s not ditching FGCU to play golf, although one of his goals is to work on his chipping so he can consistently shoot under 80. And he’ll still be in the hallowed halls of academia, teaching chemistry in the College of Arts & Sciences.
“We have a phrase we use with our softball team that is especially pertinent on road trips: ‘Leave it better than you found it!’” he says. “I am satisfied in knowing that I am leaving our program in fantastic shape for the successor. I believe our players and alums love this place, and FGCU softball has a great reputation with recruits, our peers and the softball community. I believe we have done things the right way, and I have no regrets leaving the dugout.”