Not just another fan: Mickey Dean takes in first Auburn football game

Not just another fan: Mickey Dean takes in first Auburn football gameNot just another fan: Mickey Dean takes in first Auburn football game

Sept. 19, 2017

By Greg Ostendorf
AuburnTigers.com

AUBURN, Ala. -- If you saw Mickey Dean on the sideline at Jordan-Hare Stadium prior to Saturday's Auburn-Mercer game, you might have thought he was just another Auburn fan. He blended in with his Auburn shirt and hat, and there was a genuine excitement that fellow Auburn fans who still remember their first home game know all too well.

After all, this was a guy who grew up watching Bo Jackson back in the day.

"I sat down and I'd watch Auburn football, and there's Bo Jackson," Dean said. "How can you not become a fan? Ever since then, I've become an Auburn football fan."

Dean was not just another fan at Saturday's game, though. He's the new Auburn softball coach. But the excitement? That was real. His fandom is no fluke.

"It's amazing," Dean said. "You go through your whole career, and you have a couple places that you'd like to go to. And then you have that one place that you'd really like to be at. Then it happens. And you're like `that's amazing.'"

Dean and his family flew into Auburn around 10 a.m. on Saturday. The first thing he did when he landed was go to the softball locker room and meet with the team. After about an hour of getting to know his new players, he went over to the tailgate for women's athletics where they were celebrating 125 years of women at Auburn.

At the tailgate, Dean had an opportunity to meet Jane B. Moore, a retired professor and former director of graduate studies in the Auburn Department of Health and Human Performance. The playing surface at the Auburn softball complex is named after Moore.

"She is amazing," Dean said. "She is absolutely an amazing woman. Just very kind, and I had such a great conversation with her. Here I was, I was standing there eating, and the next you know, she disappears and she comes back with three water glasses and she says `Here, I know you and your family need some water.' She's just an amazing lady."

Then it was off to Jordan-Hare Stadium for Dean and his family. They stood on the sideline prior to kickoff, meeting various coaches and people associated with Auburn.

It wasn't long before Dean was greeting each person he met with a "War Eagle."

The new softball coach was introduced on the field during the first break of the first quarter. He then had a chance to sit back and watch the Auburn football team beat Mercer, 24-10. It might not have been the "complete domination" he said he was hoping to see before the game, but the Tigers are now a perfect 1-0 in games that he's attended.

The next few weeks will undoubtedly be busy as he looks to assemble his staff and begin practicing with his new team. But he's found his home. He's now part of the Auburn family.

"I just look forward to getting to know everyone," Dean said. "And I look forward to the excitement that we're going to generate with our program. We've got a great group of kids. They're excited. I'm excited. I'm just really looking forward to getting started."

Greg Ostendorf is a Staff Writer for AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @greg_ostendorf