×

Warren names Day new football coach

RON JOHNSTON The Marietta Times New Warren football coach Dan Day, left, addresses community members during his introduction Friday in Vincent. Warren AD Steve Harold, right, looks on.

VINCENT — A new day is dawning for the Warren High football program

On Friday afternoon in the school’s cafeteria, WHS Athletic Director Steve Harold introduced Dan Day as the Warriors’ gridiron boss for the upcoming 2018 campaign. With Day were his wife Danielle and their three children Daniel Jr. (age 5), Ellianna (4), and Lauralyn (9 months).

“In Coach Day, Warren is getting a family man, a leader with great integrity and a young coach filled with passion and energy,” Harold said. “I targeted him very early in this process and could not be happier with his decision to join us.

“We are fortunate to attract a man of his caliber to work in our district and lead our football program.”

Harold said that he and Day had coached at Saint Joseph’s College in Indiana.

“Having worked with him previously, I am confident in saying that our football program will be better,” Harold said. “I could not be happier for our football players, their families and the fans of Warrior Nation.”

According to Harold, in addition to leading the football program, Day will also assume the duties of Assistant Athletic Director, with specific responsibilities for managing facilities and external operations.

The 30-year-old Day will be succeeding Tim Carver, who was 2-18 in his two years as the head football coach. Carver’s track and field coaching duties in the spring will be handled by Neil Brague, also the school’s cross country coach.

Last season, the Warriors were winless at 0-10. Since the millenium year 2000, they were also winless in 2002, 2003, and 2015.

The royal blue and white has won only two games in the last three years and is 3-37 in its last four seasons.

Day will become Warren’s 21st head football coach in the program’s 58-year history and the ninth since 2000.

In the last 18 years, the Warriors have had just one winning season (7-3 in 2009).

In 2015, WHS was blanked six times and scored only five touchdowns the entire fall.

The royal blue and white broke even at 5-5 in both 2010 and 2011 with Andy Schob, now a Fort Frye principal, at the helm.

“I don’t know what the history was or why there wasn’t success,” Day said.

“But I do know that coaches at every level make a mistake of football…you get into and enjoy the x’s and o’s portion and you enjoy coaching on the field — and obviously, that’s a huge piece of it. But, I’ve always believed so much more in culture. That’s what I want to create here, a culture. That takes time, but I see the basketball program and other sports programs here have success. That tells me that it’s not your athletes or the people and personnel in the building, but that it’s a culture issue. And, I’ve always felt as a coach, that’s one of my strengths, identifying and creating culture.”

A Petersburg, Ohio native (near Youngstown), Day was a head football coach at Saint Joseph’s College and also had coaching stints at Seton Hill University and Benedictine University.

“When I was named head coach at St. Joseph’s, at that time I was the youngest head coach at 27 in (NCAA) Division II football,” Day said.

Last fall, Day was both the Benedictine offensive coordinator and offensive line coach.

A four-year letterman and three-year starter as a player, Day was a lineman on the first football team at Seton Hill in 2005. A captain his senior season, the Griffins posted a 10-3 record and advanced to the NCAA playoffs.

In his senior year, Day was honored as Seton Hill’s Most Valuable Lineman.

He got his bachelors degree in history in 2009 and finished work on a masters in elementary education that summer.

A four year letter-winner and three-year starter, Day was also awarded the Most Valuable Linemen award his senior season. Day earned his bachelors in History in 2009 from Seton Hill and finished work on his maters in Elementary Education in August of that year.

Day’s first day on the job will be Monday, Jan. 22.

“I’m just thankful for the opportunity to be here and to be a part of this community,” he said.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *

Starting at $4.15/week.

Subscribe Today