Former Norman coach takes over at Dibble
DIBBLE — The first day of football practice at Dibble High School was also Greg Nation’s first day on the job.
In a last-hour hire after the dismissal of coach Jacob Offolter, Nation answered the call for Dibble to be its next head coach.
The former Norman High coach was set on being Blanchard’s defensive coordinator this season when Dibble principal Damon Garner and athletic director Chad Clanton approached him to take over the head position for the Demons.
Nation, who coached for nine seasons at Norman before leaving the job in 2016, said the pull to be a head coach again was one he couldn’t pass up.
“It’s been a bit of a whirlwind,” Nation said. “But we are excited about what we have going on here at Dibble.”
Nation accepted the offer from Dibble on Aug. 6, the first day high school teams are allowed to practice.
He met with the assistant coaches that morning, put together a game plan for practice that afternoon and was having the Demons’ first workout that evening.
“I just recently stopped measuring my time at Dibble in hours,” he said. “Definitely a quick transition, but the kids are resilient and they can change with the ebbs and flows of things.”
Dibble is coming off of one of the most successful seasons in school history. The Demons finished with an 8-4 record and a trip to the Class 2A playoffs.
Following the season, coach Chad Stone left to coach and teach in Texas. Dibble hired Offolter as football coach. Offolter, a 1999 Dibble graduate, was charged with one count of assault and battery in late July and is no longer employed with the school.
Garner said the school felt fortunate to have such a great alternative in Nation just a few miles down the road.
“It was a tough situation,” Garner said. “But we acted and we felt we had the best solution at the time.
“Coach Nation’s experience is quite extensive and he’s got a dynamic personality.”
Nation said he’s ready to get the season going. He likes the attitude his kids have adopted and the momentum the program is carrying over from last season.
“I think it’s all the kids,” Nation said. “We have a lot of T’s to cross and I’s to dot but we are bouncing up and down here ready to go.”