Dave Cleppe has been patiently waiting to become a head football coach in Pinellas County. He finally gets his chance.
Cleppe, 52, has been named head coach at St. Petersburg Catholic after four years as an assistant at the school. Cleppe started as an assistant coach at SPC in 1986.
“It’s like I’ve come full circle,’’ Cleppe said. “I actually started out at St. Pete Catholic under coach Mike June. I’ve been fortunate enough to work under a lot of good coaches.’’
Cleppe will remain a physical education teacher at Sacred Heart Catholic School in Pinellas Park. He said if a teaching position were to open up at SPC in the future he would look into taking it.
Cleppe said he will retain four assistant coaches who worked under the former head coach, Steve Dudley. He plans on having a full complement of assistants before the start of spring practices.
There will be less of an adjustment period at SPC for Cleppe. His son, Brad, will be a senior on the team. His daughter, Becky, is a junior at the school. And his wife, Irene, is also an SPC graduate.
Prior to SPC, Cleppe has been an assistant coach at Gibbs, Boca Ciega, Pinellas Park and St. Petersburg. His emphasis at all those schools has been offense. Cleppe said he’s ready to take over his first program.
“We’re trying to build a program here,’’ Cleppe said. “I’ve received a lot of support so far from the administration. I’ve known all these kids for the past four years and I know they’ve all been wondering who the next coach is going to be. They are ready to get to work.’’