Sanders tapped to lead DeKalb
DeKALB – Marty Sanders won’t have much of a holiday weekend as the new DeKalb High School football coach.
Sanders is a “recommendation hire pending board approval,” according to DeKalb athletic director Dan Jones. The Barbs start camp on Monday and barbecues and fireworks won’t be on Sanders agenda as he prepares to make a quick transition into a position he said is his “dream job.”
“I’ve prepared for this my entire life,” Sanders said. “The plan and the packet have always been ready to go at a moments notice if an opportunity as tremendous as DeKalb ever arose.”
Sanders is a graduate of Northern Illinois and began his coaching career as an assistant at Sycamore his senior year. He was a Spartans’ assistant coach from 1993-1998, working for Drew Potthoff and Daryl Graves before becoming the head sophomore coach for his last three seasons.
Sanders was the head coach at Joy Westmer from 1999-2002 and went 11-34 from 2003-2007 as coach at Kewanee. He most recently was an assistant coach at Benedictine University in Lisle.
Coaching is in Sanders DNA as his father, Jim Sanders, went 67-41 at East Moline United and took the Panthers to the playoffs five times.
“Marty comes from a football family,” Jones said. “I hope we can get a lot of people out to camp Monday to see his enthusiasm and passion. He’s already set to start working this weekend so there won’t be much time off for the holiday.”
DeKalb had to move fast to find Sanders after Kurt Johansen offered his resignation on June 23. The interview process began on Wednesday and Jones was surprised to have 23 applicants for the position because the season is so close.
With his roots in the DeKalb area, his head coaching experience and familiarity with both teams from the Western Sun and North Central Illinois Conference, Sanders was an attractive candidate. But Jones said his passion to teach, coach and involve the entire community made Sanders the final choice.
“We had a lot of quality applicants,” Jones said. “But Marty didn’t once use the word I in the process, it was always we. He knows that to turn around the program that everyone from staff, administration, alumni and players has to be involved.”
As for what to expect on the field, Sanders has already established a motto for the 2009 season: Passion, Purpose and Pride.
On Monday, the Barbs will start the process of getting acquainted with Sanders. The previous staff will remain intact, but their exact positions have yet to be assigned as Sanders wants to see everyone in action and in meetings before making any final decisions.
The offense will be a versatile collection of plays with an emphasis on “smash-mouth football.”
“We will be fundamentally sound and aggressive,” Sanders said. “We’ll play smash-mouth football but have some versatile plays too. There will be some power option and some spread plays that will give us room to maneuver around the talents of our linemen and quarterback from year-to-year.
“Our offense will control the ball and control the clock and our defense will be physical and play downhill. It is a fun system to play in and a fun system to coach. I can’t wait to bring it to DeKalb because I think the community is ready for a winner on the football field.”
When the Barbs enter a new school and athletic facility in 2010-11, they will also enter the recently formed Northern Illinois Big 12 Conference.
“DeKalb is a diamond in the rough,” Sanders said. “It could be a successful program year-in and year-out. There are plenty of athletes at the school and I can’t wait to start working with the staff to reach the untapped potential that is already there.”