Just a few weeks after Ken Roberts resigned, O’Brien Tech Athletic Director Dan Nemergut is taking over as the head football coach of O’Brien Tech. This will be his first head coaching job.
Nemergut, who admits his football coaching experience is limited to volunteer work, felt it was necessary to take over to “maintain the continuity of our new program,” especially his desire to keep assistants Joe DeVellis and Nick Aprea, who helped Roberts build the program from nothing into a 3-win football team in just one season of existence.
Nemergut said he was required to open the job to employees at O’Brien Tech and then to employees in the Connecticut Vo-Tech school system before it could be posted to the general public. Since just one applicant from another tech school applied, Nemergut said he felt his best course was to take the job because he is an O’Brien Tech employee and maintaining his assistant coaches was important to the young program.
“I can reiterate enough that this was about about keeping continuity and keeping other members on board,” Nemergut said. “We needed someone (who works) in the building. That’s why Kenny left. He wanted to be in the building. I wish he could have hung on at least another year, but there are no hard feelings.
“I’m dedicated to this school and my athletics program. I’ve put my heart and soul into this and I’m going to make sure that this (new program) moves forward. This was the only option especially with a new program. The roots haven’t been formed yet. We don’t want to rip them up before they’ve started to grow.”
Nemergut said he met with the returning players Tuesday. “The boys were pretty positive about it,” he said. “The fact that we can continue with the coaches we have from last is definitely a positive.”
