Stell's the man for the job

Updated: March 22, 2011 4:56PM

When it comes to Bremen football coach Dan Stell, it's little wonder that Joe Kotwica sees him as the best man.

After all, that's the role Stell played in the wedding of Kotwica's son, Ben.

But this time, wedding bells aren't peeling. Rather, Kotwica, father of an assistant coach on one of the NFL's best teams, is chiming in on who'd be the best man to coach at his son's alma mater.

Hint: He's the Andrew graduate with a coaching background who'll be in the stands rather than on the sidelines when the Jets visit the Bears Dec. 26.

"The perfect candidate for the Andrew job is Dan Stell," Kotwica said. "He shares the same passion for coaching football that Ben has. He has great football knowledge and has paid his dues."

I agree. Now that Jim Zimmer, a St. Laurence grad who came to Andrew by way of Stagg, has resigned, citing a desire to spend more time with his family, why not bring in a member of the Andrew family?

Tom Lahey is right there with me - and he's another link to the Thunderbolts' glory days. He was a defensive coordinator under Mike O'Neill, who went 130-70 in the 20 years preceding Zimmer's five-year, 26-22 run.

In his mind, either Stell or Mike Fahey, another Andrew grad and a Bremen assistant, fit the bill.

"Dan and Mike bring back great memories," Lahey said. "Our 1991 team was very special. We had so many leaders on that team. I think both of them would be very good candidates to be the next head coach at Andrew."

Ben Kotwica and Stell, who has not applied for the Andrew opening, were leaders among those leaders of '91. That Thunderbolts team went 12-1, eventually falling to East St. Louis Sr. in the Class 6A semifinals.

When Kotwica went to the United States Military Academy, Stell continued his football career at Millikin University in Decatur. When Kotwica became a decorated Army captain in the Iraq War, Stell became a social studies teacher and football coach.

Despite being on different continents, they continued to correspond.

Stell spent four years as an assistant with Providence Catholic's highly regarded football program before joining the Bremen staff in 2003. In his two seasons of trying to rebuild the Bremen program, Stell's teams have put together 1-8 and 3-6 records. There also was vast improvement at the lower levels.

But numbers don't always tell the whole story. Stell has been reaching out to the Bremen community to get more kids interested in football. You need patience for this game plan, and Stell has it. He has exhibited the desire and determination to help

Bremen return to the winning football era that was created by coaching legend John D'Ambrosio.

One of the defining moments in this ambitious journey came last summer when Stell asked Ben Kotwica to bring an NFL-sponsored camp to Midlothian. Kotwica, now in his third season as a special-teams assistant with the Jets, made it happen. The day turned out to be a big hit with the kids.

However, all of this talk about Stell and Fahey might be just a dream. Andrew athletic director Rich Piatchek said Tuesday morning he's received applications from numerous candidates, even though the job hasn't even officially been posted.

"We will post the football job as soon as we get the OK from our district office," Piatchek said. "We will then go over all of the candidates and make a decision as soon as possible."

By union contract, District 230 must hire qualified in-district employees over outside candidates. Fahey, a teacher at Stagg, meets that requirement. Stell, a teacher at Bremen, does not.

Whatever path they chose, it would be interesting if Andrew officials talked to some of the great Thunderbolts of the past who are now in the coaching profession.

They have the passion that's needed for the job.

They had great role models in O'Neill and Lahey.

They understand what Andrew football is all about.

© 2012 Sun-Times Media, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be copied or distributed without permission. For more information about reprints and permissions, visit www.suntimesreprints.com. To order a reprint of this article, click here.