Dean, Clark and Doyle to be honored by coaches’ group on April 26 at Lawrence North High School
School administrators Nathan Dean of Jimtown, John Clark of Ben Davis and Jeff Doyle of Barr-Reeve will be will be recognized with special awards at the 2019 Indiana Basketball Coaches Association annual Clinic.
The three administrators — Dean is athletic director at Jimtown, Clark is athletic director at Ben Davis and Doyle is principal at Barr-Reeve — will be honored as Administrators of the Year from the IBCA. The three winners will be presented plaques during a ceremony on April 26 during the IBCA Clinic at Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis.
The three administrators are being recognized for their support of programs in their schools. There is one winner from each IHSAA district. Dean is the honoree from District 1. Clark is cited from District 2. Doyle is the recipient from District 3.
More information about each of the award winners follows.
2019 IBCA Administrators of the Year
District 1
Nathan Dean, athletic director, Jimtown High School
Nathan Dean is the IBCA Administrator of the Year for District 1.
He cites his purpose as a leader as this: “To create young men and women of integrity, who become responsible adults of empathy and respect, who will ultimately be a force for good to their families, community and the world.”
Dean is a 1983 graduate of Hortonville High School in Hortonville, Wis., where he competed in track and cross country for four years. He went on to Grace College in Indiana, where he also competed in track and cross country and graduated in 1987. He later earned his master’s degree in school administration from Purdue in 1997.
He began his career in education at Knox High School, where he taught physical education, health and biology as well as serving as a junior high football coach, a high school football assistant, a freshman boys’ basketball coach and a varsity track coach during a tenure that lasted until 1997.
Dean then moved to Jimtown, where he served as assistant principal from 1997-2005, as principal from 2005-2011, as Baugo Community Schools director of operations from 2011-2013 and as the Baugo Community Schools/Jimtown High School director of athletics and activities from 2013-present.
He has been a member of the IHSAA Board of Directors since 2007, and he served as chairman of the IHSAA Executive Committee in the 2011-12 school year. He was a nominee for the Charles F. Maas Distinguished Service Award as presented by the Indiana Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association in 2016.
Dean and his wife, Tami, have two children – Emily, 28, and Eric, 25.
District 2
John Clark, athletic director, Ben Davis High School
John Clark is the IBCA Administrator of the Year for District 2.
Clark started his teaching and coaching career at Ben Davis in 1972. Over the years, Clark has been a technology education teacher, department chair, assistant football coach, assistant track coach, head softball coach and athletic administrator.
Working his entire career at Ben Davis, Clark has developed a reputation as an outstanding teacher, leader and coach by building positive relationships with students, parents and staff and by establishing strong programs that give students quality experiences.
Clark is completing his ninth year as the Ben Davis athletic director (2010-present) after serving eight years as the school’s assistant athletic director (2002-10).
As an administrator, Clark was named a District 3 Athletic Administrator of the Year by the Indiana Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association in 2009 and 2011. In 2013, he received the Tom Cameron Administrative Award from the Indiana High School Wrestling Coaches Association.
Earlier in his career, Clark was the Ben Davis varsity softball coach from 1984-2002. During his tenure, the Giants won seven sectionals (1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1994, 1995, 2002), three regionals (1986, 1990, 1991) and one semi-state (1991). Clark’s softball teams qualified for the IHSAA State Finals in 1986, 1990 and 1991.
While a coach, Clark served the Marion County Coaches of Girls Sports Association as a board member, treasurer and president from 1987-1998 and was involved with the Indiana Coaches of Girls Sports Association as softball chairman, All-Star Director and president from 1998-2002. He also was named ICGSA District 3 Coach of the Year in softball in 1989 and 1990, the ICGSA state Coach of the Year in softball in 1990 and the NFHS Indiana State Coach of the Year for softball in 2001.
Clark received the Jan Brown Award of Excellence in 1997 from the MCCGSA and the Phyllis Tubbs Service Award from the ICGSA in 2010. Clark was inducted into the Indiana high school softball Hall of Fame in 1996.
A 1968 graduate of Carmel High School, Clark competed in football, wrestling and track for the Greyhounds. He went to Western State College in Colorado for one year, where he played football. He then transferred to Ball State, where he received a bachelor’s degree in 1972 and a master’s degree in 1973.
Clark and his wife, Carol, have three adult children – Brian, Kristin and Matthew – and nine grandchildren.
District 3
Jeff Doyle, principal, Barr-Reeve High School
Jeff Doyle is the IBCA Administrator of the Year for District 3.
Doyle is in his eighth year as principal at Barr-Reeve, and he previously has served as a teacher, coach, athletic director or assistant principal at four other schools prior to his current position.
Doyle is a 1990 graduate of Loogootee High School, where he played three years of varsity basketball and four years of varsity tennis. He totaled 1,478 career points, 648 rebounds in basketball and was named Associated Press all-state as a senior while playing for coach Jack Butcher. The Lions captured regional titles when Doyle was a sophomore and senior (25-1). He also was the school’s all-time leader in tennis victories (64-7) when he graduated.
He went on to the University of Southern Indiana, graduating in 1994. At USI, Doyle was a two-year starter in basketball for coach Bruce Pearl. As a junior, the Screaming Eagles went 22-7 and qualified for the NCAA Division II nationals. As a senior, USI went 28-4, won the Great Lakes Valley Conference and finished as NCAA Division II national runner-up.
Doyle began his career in education as a teacher at Evansville North for two years. He then moved to Shoals, serving as a teacher for two years and athletic director for four years. He also was a Shoals assistant principal the last three years. Doyle followed by becoming an assistant principal at North Daviess for 10 years. He became the principal at Barr-Reeve in 2011.
His coaching career includes tenures as an assistant tennis coach for boys and girls at Castle, a JV boys’ basketball coach at Shoals, a junior high track coach at Shoals, an assistant boys’ basketball coach at North Daviess and varsity girls’ tennis coach at North Daviess. He was an boys’ basketball coach at North Daviess from 2005-08, the team capturing two sectionals (2006, 2008) and one regional (2008).
As principal at Barr-Reeve, Doyle has been leader of a school that has seen these athletic successes – boys’ basketball state championship in 2015 and boys’ basketball state runners-up in 2014 and 2019; girls’ basketball state runner-up in 2015; and volleyball state championships in 2013 and 2018.
Professionally, Doyle was honored as District 11 Assistant Principal of the Year in 2005 by the Indiana Association of School Principals. He also served on the Principal Task Force to Implement Graduation Pathways in 2017-18 and has been a member of the IHSAA Board of Directors since 2017.
Doyle was recognized as part of the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame men’s Silver Anniversary Team in 2015.
He and his wife, Sally, are parents to two children – Lauren, 19, and Claire, 6.
