DINDY TAKING OVER NORMAN BOYS PROGRAM
Once a state champion coach at Midwest City, Rodney Dindy will be the new boys hoops coach at Norman.
NORMAN — Rodney Dindy had been contemplating a return to a head coaching job, but hadn’t seen the ideal spot pop up.
That changed when the Norman High boys basketball job came open last month.
Once a state champion coach at Midwest City, Dindy will take over the downtrodden Tiger program following his approval by school board members Monday night.
“I’ve been wanting to find a head coaching job for a minute,” Dindy said. “The main thing was waiting for the right job and right situation. I definitely think Norman is a great place to coach and work. Their tradition in basketball is great in Oklahoma.”
Dindy, 48, replaces Matt Thornton, who stepped down in March after a 3-21 season.
“When this position opened, it was important to us that we find an individual who can continue to serve our students well through strong leadership capabilities,” Norman Public Schools athletic director T.D. O’Hara said. “Dindy has a championship pedigree that is evident with the teams he has guided throughout his career.
“His experience at the collegiate level will benefit players in his program that aspire to play at that level and I look forward to watching our students succeed under his leadership.”
Dindy took over Midwest City for the 2001-02 season, when the Bombers were coming off a run of three state titles in four years under Terry Evans.
Dindy led the Bombers to a 136-51 record with five state tournament appearances, including a 27-1 mark with a state title in 2007.
In 2008, he left to become an assistant on Evans’ staff at the University of Central Oklahoma, remaining there until last summer, when Evans was hired as Edmond North’s coach. Dindy stayed on Evans’ staff at Edmond North, helping the Huskies to a 27-1 season, ending in the Class 6A semifinals.
At Norman, he takes over a once-powerful program that has fallen off in recent years while crosstown rival Norman North has excelled.
Norman won a 6A title in 1999, but hasn’t reached the state tournament since 2000 when it lost to Midwest City in the championship game.
“It’s a very attractive situation,” Dindy said of his new job. “The school really backs their program and supports them. It’s a great place to get restarted again.”