By By SCOTT NOVAK / Niles Daily Star
DOWAGIAC – Pending approval by the school board Monday night, Dick O'Day will replace Greg Blomgren as the Dowagiac girls' varsity basketball coach.
O'Day has been the coach of Trinity School – Greenlawn in South Bend, Ind. the last three seasons, leading the school to a pair of Christian state championships the last two years.
O'Day, who is from South Bend, Ind., took over a program that was 4-18.
In his first season at Trinity, his team went 20-6 and lost the Christian state championship by a point.
In winning back-to-back championships, Trinity went 23-4 and 18-6.
"When I took over the program, I worked to get a stronger schedule because I believe it toughens you up for tournament time," he said.
O'Day began coaching boys' basketball in 1986 at the elementary level and worked his way up through the ranks.
He got his first girls coaching job in 1999 in Fort Wayne, Ind. at Homestead. He coached the frehsmen girls' team there until 2004 when he returned to South Bend to take care of his ailing mother.
He was offered the freshmen girls' job at South Bend St. Joe, but ended up coaching the junior varsity boys instead.
He also was a scouting coach for the varsity squad during its state title run.
He took over at Trinity three years ago and helped guide that team to tremendous success.
He saw the job posted in an area newspaper and applied. He was interviewed twice and offered the position two weeks ago.
"I am extremely excited about the possibilities," O'Day said. "I am blessed and honored. I look forward to keeping that rich tradition going and taking it to the next level. I see a lot of things that have a lot of potential."
O'Day added he is looking forward to getting started and working with the girls the 15 days he is allowed to.
He has a wife, Carol, who has three sons from a previous marriage.