St. Petersburg Times Online: Business

Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies

Assistant O'Regan gets Riverview job

The Sharks don't expect to miss a beat with Dan O'Regan taking over.

SCOTT PURKS
Published July 31, 2003

A week after its head coach stepped down, Riverview has hired Dan O'Regan, and it almost feels like the school never missed a beat.

O'Regan has been an assistant at Riverview since the school opened in 1998, and before that he spent 15 years with many of the same people as an East Bay assistant.

"We're blessed with a great staff that has stayed together for a long time," Riverview athletic director Ron Wardlow said. "It wasn't the best situation when (coach Dustin Almeida) left so close to the season, but luckily we were in a position to make a quick transition."

Almeida, who also had been at Riverview since the school opened, led the Sharks to a 6-5 record last season in his first season as head coach. However, he left for an opportunity to return home to Rhode Island.

Wardlow said the decision basically came down to O'Regan and assistant Scott Palmer, and both coaches said they would be fine with either choice.

"That's just the way it is out here with this staff," O'Regan said. "No egos, no bad blood or anything like that. It's just a great group of guys trying to win football games.

"It's a rare and very good situation."

O'Regan said he has applied for other head coaching jobs around the county, but couldn't be happier with the way it worked out.

"Everyone here knows the system we run, and that goes for the coaching staff down to the kids," O'Regan said. "It's just a great situation to be in."

© Copyright, St. Petersburg Times. All rights reserved.