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By JOE PETRUCCI jpetrucci@leader.net
Thursday, March 06, 2003 Page: 1B
PLAINS TWP. – Newly hired Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers head coach Dean
Cokinos isn’t shy about his plans for the arenafootball2 team’s sophomore
season.
In fact, he took the liberty of answering questions he knew would be asked
of him as he addressed the media and assorted members of the community on
Wednesday at Waterfront Bar and Grill.
Regarding his assistant coaches, Cokinos said: “As far as the rest of the
staff goes, I now there’s going to be questions about that so I’ll address it
now. We’ll do what’s best for the Pioneers and what makes us the best team
possible. We’ll go through the interview process of current coaches and any
former coach that’s interested.”
Cokinos, who most recently was a head coach in the German Football League,
became the third head coach in the Pioneers’ 19-month history. He replaces
Lary Kuharich, who was hired in November after 2002 head coach Terry Karg
chose not to re-sign with the team. Kuharich brought in Cokinos as his
defensive coordinator before taking a job as an assistant coach with the Arena
Football League’s New York Dragons last week after the Dragons fired their
entire staff after an 0-4 start.
Cokinos, 38, said he is bringing in Chris Williams as his offensive
coordinator. Cokinos said Williams, who has three years of af2 coaching
experience and most recently was the Birmingham Steeldogs receivers coach,
should arrive in the area next week. Cokinos plans on talking to Pioneers line
coach and director of college scouting Joe DeMelfi and offensive assistant
Mark Arcure, both holdovers from last year.
Cokinos was excitable, determined and to-the-point during his introduction,
and he has reason to be. The Pioneers open training camp in less than two
weeks, and there is plenty to do. But Cokinos isn’t panicking.
“(Lary) set a course for us that we’re going to follow,” said Cokinos, a
Boston native. “The ship is sailing pretty tight right now. The challenge is
mostly administrative. Personnel is intact. Time is a factor so we can be
ready for camp.”
Cokinos, who will handle defensive coordinator duties, said he will use the
base of the playbook Kuharich installed. It’s the same playbook from which
Cokinos learned. Cokinos also indicated the Pioneers’ roster is nearly
finalized. He said the team has 23 players signed and five more are on the way
this week. The team can bring 35 players to camp, which begins on March 19.
Twenty-one make the opening day roster.
“Dean is responsible for a significant portion of the players on our
roster today,” said Pioneers owner Greg Smith. “There are a number of
players here who are anxious to work for Dean.”
One of those players is quarterback Chris Boden, who started for Northeast
Division foe New Haven last year and appears to be the front-runner to win the
No. 1 job here.
“I feel real comfortable with him,” said Boden. “I like Dean. He’s a
real quality guy. He’s real organized, he’s professional and I think he’s
going to be a great leader for this team.”
Cokinos spent nine years in Europe as a head coach for a team in Italy and
three others in the German Football League, a developmental pro league similar
in structure and talent to af2. During a two-year span guiding the Munich
Cowboys, the team won 24 consecutive games and a conference championship and
sent eight players to NFL Europe. Two others earned NCAA Division I
scholarships.
“I believe in the old school way in a lot of areas,” said Cokinos, whose
title also includes director of football operations. “Be honest with the
players … they have to know where they stand. You’ve got to be demanding and
hold them accountable. At the same time you have to communicate with the
players.”
In addition to Williams and potentially two other assistants, Cokinos is
planning on bringing in a few arena veterans – such as Pat Sperduto, former
head coach of the AFL’s Nashville Kats where Cokinos served as an advanced
scout in 1998 – to help out during training camp.
Dean Cokinos
Coaching experience
College
Year Team Position
1990 – Massachusetts Running backs/receivers coach
1991 – Austin Peay (Tenn.) Assistant coach
1992 – Livingston (Ala.) Assistant coach
Professional
Year Team League Position
1993 Brothers Macerata Italian Football League (IFL) Head coach
1994-’97 Norris Rams German Football League (GFL) Head coach
1998 Nashville Kats AFL Advanced scout
1999-2001 Munich Cowboys GFL Head coach
2002 Berlin Eagles GFL Head coach