Dan Starkey, long time Lockport resident, was hired over the summer by Lockport Township High School to fill the dean and head football coach vacancies.

With those two spots open after the 2013-2014 school year, the LTHS administration believed Starkey was qualified for both openings. LTHS Athletic Director, Brian Goff, is very excited to see what Starkey will do for this program and for this community.

“Everyone I talked to said great things about him as a person, and he has great knowledge for the game [of football],” said Goff.

Starkey, who was a physical education advisor and football coach at New Trier for the last four years,  is new to the dean position but likes the responsibility that it brings each day.

“I love that I get the opportunity to help students with any problems they may have,” said Starkey.

Assistant principal at LTHS, Tom Kurzawski, was asked how he felt Starkey was fitting into LTHS. He is happy with what Starkey is doing in the school and had nothing but positive things to say about him.

“Outstanding, professional, has a passion to help students. [Starkey] loves doing the things that deans have to do,” said Kurzawski.

Since the Starkey family has lived in Lockport, there have been two Starkey boys that have graduated from LTHS, Bo and Cole Starkey. Starkey’s third son, Roman, is currently a junior and plays football for the Porters. Since Starkey’s sons already bleed Porter maroon, the transition was easier for Starkey.

“It went smooth,” Starkey said. “I already knew some of the staff members here so that helped.”

There were a lot of good candidates that applied for the head football coach job at Lockport, but Goff saw traits in Starkey that ultimately won him the job at the end of 2013-2014 school year.

“[He has great ] Knowledge and passion for the game. Also, the desire to work with young men,” Goff said Starkey. “More importantly he is a great person and that’s what we needed here at Lockport to truly ‘Bring it Back’.”

Starkey has a big job to do if he wants to bring back the excitement LTHS football had after winning state championships in the 2002 and 2003 seasons. The phrase, “Bring It Back” is the slogan that the seniors on the football team created before camp started in late June.

“I love the culture and school spirit here at Lockport and it is one of the reasons why I wanted to coach here, to be apart of something special like that,” said Starkey on Lockport. “ Lockport is home to me and when I got the opportunity to coach and work at a school with the tradition that it has, I was very excited.”

Since Starkey has taken the head football coach position, he has been in constant communication with Goff. Which is key in order to build a strong relationship with the athletic director.

“Starkey and I talk everyday and he is doing a good job at both the dean and coach’s position. He keeps me up to date with everything and things are going smoothly,” said Goff on his relationship with Starkey.

For only being a Porter for a couple of months now, Starkey is adapting to the new school and is figuring out what it truly means to be a Porter. Goff likes the progress he is making with the team.

“He is positive, has great attributes, and we look for him to transform this program back into what it used to be years ago,” said Goff.