Scot Dapp leaving football coaching post to take over as Moravian College athletic director

FROM THE EXPRESS TIMES

The winningest football coach in Moravian College history is looking to carry his success on the gridiron to the entire Greyhounds sports landscape.

Scot Dapp, who posted a 144-103-1 record in 24 seasons as Moravian head football coach, was named the school's director of athletics and recreation at a press conference Friday morning at Moravian's Johnston Hall.

"It's quite an honor and needless to say I have mixed emotions about this," Dapp said. "It's one of the things that's going to take place at some point and time and I'm glad to have this opportunity."

Replacing Dapp as football coach will be assistant Jeff Pukszyn, who has served as the team's defensive coordinator since 1999. Pukszyn, who also was Moravian's special teams coordinator, was an All-Middle Atlantic Conference first team defensive tackle in 1994 and 1996 under Dapp.

"Thanks Coach Dapp for recruiting me out of high school," Pukszyn said. "He gave me my first part-time coaching opportunity and saw some confidence in me to hire me as a defensive coordinator. He has been a great mentor, a great friend and I'm overly excited we'll still be working together with everything."

The athletic director position became vacant when Paul Moyer resigned last month after 11 years of service to take over a similar role at McDaniel College.

Dapp, who previously served as the president of the American Football Coaches Association Board of Trustees, currently is the chair of the NCAA Football Rules Committee.

"Scott has demonstrated his leadership capabilities within the department on important committees and in initiatives across the campus," Moravian president Christopher M. Thomforde said.

In his tenure as football coach, Dapp led the Greyhounds to the NCAA Division III playoffs in 1988 and 1993. Dapp also guided Moravian to two conference championships and was named conference coach of the year three times.

Dapp admitted he regretted all 103 of his losses at Moravian but said his positive memories far outweigh the negatives.
Pukszyn11.jpgMoravian College photoJeff Pukszyn

"As far as good things, that number is probably close to 1,000 because that's the people I have had the chance to coach and work with," Dapp said. "It's something I'm going to miss in some way, shape or form."

As Dapp starts his new job, he realizes there will be obstacles along the way.

"It's something that I look at and I say, 'wow this is going to have a lot of different types of challenges,'" Dapp said.

Hiring his first coach wasn't too difficult for Dapp.

"When it came to this decision to step down as the head coach to assume this, I knew one thing we had to do quickly was replace me and that was easy," Dapp said. "I just looked outside my door and there was Jeff. A guy that I coached and a guy that has worked with me meticulously and diligently and everything that you ask for in an assistant coach. He is now more than ready."

Even with a new coach, don't expect a lot of change in the philosophy of the Moravian football program.

"I told our guys and the freshmen coming in, our core beliefs are not

changing," Pukszyn said.

Pukszyn, who was a co-captain in 1995 and 1996, hopes to make fellow alumni proud of their football team.

"To my fellow alumni, the Moravian community and all of our supporters, I promise that the Greyhounds will be winners," Pukszyn said. "First and foremost, we'll be winners in the classroom, winners in the community and winners on the football field."

http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/sports/index.ssf/2011/07/scot_dapp_leaving_football_coa.html