DePuy, Hutcherson fill Sharks' coaching vacancies

GULF COAST — Gulf Coast athletic director Jose Arias didn't have to look far to fill the boys golf and girls volleyball coaching vacancies for the 2006-07 school year.

In fact, Phil DePuy and Dale Hutcherson, who were hired to coach the golf and volleyball teams, respectively, were already on staff as coaches for other sports as well as being faculty members.

But here's the contrast between both men: One was persistent while the other was highly recommended.

"With the golf position, our softball coach, Phil DePuy, has been asking me about it, asking me about it ... we had some really good applicants and I thought Coach DePuy was going to be the best person for the position," Arias said. "I think he's going to do a tremendous job.

"As far as volleyball, Dale Hutcherson, all I heard was great things about him," Arias continued. "He used to coach at Lemon Bay High School, and he was supposed to be one of the best coaches up in that area and all his accolades are just first-rate. He was our freshman football coach ... so it was an easy fit for all of us."

DePuy has been teaching and coaching for the last 22 years. During that time he has coached high school and college basketball, cross country and track. He completed his third season as the varsity softball coach at Gulf Coast this year.

DePuy, who played two years on a golf scholarship at Southwestern Michigan College, said golf has always been a passion of his and being in an area often referred to as The Golf Capital of the World, he thought it'd be a great fit.

"Hopefully, I can offer something to the game," he said. "They've (Gulf Coast) had some good teams in the past, but they've had a lot of coaches. My incoming seniors, I'm going to be their fourth coach. So, there has been no stability or consistency in a head coach and I know I'm going to bring that to the program. For any unforseeen reasons, I'm going to be the golf coach for many years, hopefully anyways."

"One of my first ... actions, so to speak, is I wanted to get a tournament at our home course (Vasari Country Club)," DePuy added. "Tim Harris, the head pro out there, does something that 99 percent of our golf courses will not do. I think a lot of golf courses ... forget what it's like for an up-and-coming golfer who doesn't have the venues. If our team is in regionals we'll have a tremendous advantage, because of what kind of course Vasari is."

Hutcherson, who has been at Gulf Coast for three years and served as the freshman football coach this past season, has 32 years of coaching experience with over 60 different athletic teams.

Hutcherson coached high school volleyball at Lemon Bay High School in Englewood and club volleyball before serving as a high school assistant to his daughter. He said his main reason for taking the job was to help the girls succeed on and off the court.

"I've had a chance to spend some time with them, they're a really good group of kids and I like them," said Hutcherson, who played football at the University of Florida. "I don't really have much to prove. To me it's about the kids here, I'm not trying to make a name for myself. I just want to make sure that they have a great experience ... we're in a really tough district.

"I just know that when I walk out there, no volleyball coach will care more about their players," he continued. "I can't gurantee we'll win a match, but I can gurantee no one will give more and care about their kids when they step onto that floor. It's been a long time since winning was the main reason I coached. ... Now I just want to do the best I can and allow all my kids to have the best experience they can."