Bio

Coach Dean Walsh begins his 16th season as a head coach and 10th at the helm of Carson-Newman. He has spent 18 seasons coaching at the collegiate level and three at the high school level. In his 18 seasons at the collegiate level he has been part of 384 wins including 158 as coach of the Lady Eagles, placing him fourth on the South Atlantic Conference all-time win list. Walsh is also fourth in SAC victories with 75 and is currently 35th amongst active Division II coaches in winning percentage.

On January 18, 2006, he reached his 200th win against arch-rival Tusculum College and has compiled a 285-148 (.658) career record as a head coach. He has made 11 national tournament appearances and five "Sweet 16" appearances. "I have been very fortunate and blessed to have been given a chance at a very early age to work in the profession that I love and respect dearly," stated Walsh.

He has a reputation of being a top-notch recruiter, a tireless and relentless worker, energetic and passionate about the game, and a builder of national tournament caliber programs.

"Dean has proven to be a winner everywhere he has been," Carson-Newman Athletic Director David Barger said. "His balance and appreciation for academics as well as athletics makes him a good fit for Carson-Newman. He is a solid Christian gentleman who can carry on the legacy of Lady Eagle basketball."

Last season, Walsh and the Lady Eagles made their fourth trip to the NCAA Division II Tournament in the last six years with a 24-7 record. C-N set a school record with a 16-0 start and earned the highest national ranking in school history at No. 8. The Lady Eagles finished the year ranked sixth in the nation in blocked shots per game (5.6), 16th in scoring (77.5) and 23rd in steals per game (11.8).

In the last six seasons, the Walsh has guided the Lady Eagles to a 120-63 record.

In 2008-09, C-N made its third trip to the NCAA Division II Tournament in the last five years behind a 19-11 overall record. The Lady Eagles were second in the country in field goal percentage and third in points per game, setting school records in both categories. The team was also ranked as high as 22nd in the country.

The 2006-07 season saw Coach Walsh's troops received a No. 20 national ranking during the season and finished with a 21-10 record and a national tournament appearance, in which they were the youngest team in the tournament.

The 2005-06 season saw his squad receive its first ever pre-season national ranking at No. 16 in the nation. His squad that year would also achieve their highest national ranking of the year at 12th in the country.

In the 2004-05 season Coach Walsh's squad compiled a school record 25 wins to only eight losses and won the school's first Food Lion SAC Tournament title. The Lady Eagles' finished No. 18 in the nation, a first for the program. His team also made the program's first ever "Sweet 16" appearance.

Coach Walsh has also coached in the summer for the USA Athletes International organization. He has had the pleasure to coach teams in Australia, Barbados, Belgium, Germany, Holland, and Italy winning four championships and compiling an amazing 33-1(.971) record.

In just three short seasons at Maryville College, Walsh built a national powerhouse. He compiled a 19-6 record and a #8 regional ranking in his first season, taking over a team that finished 12-13 the previous season. His 1999-2000 team went 20-6, was ranked fourth in the South Region, ranked nationally in six different statistical categories and made an appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Lady Scots enjoyed another great year in 2000-01 as they compiled a 22-5 record, #3 South Region ranking, and a #16 national ranking. His team was nationally ranked in eight statistic categories.

Walsh served as the head women's basketball coach at Hiwassee College in Madisonville, Tennessee from 1994-1997. This was Coach Walsh's first head coaching position. Walsh took a program that had only won four games the previous two years combined to a NJCAA "Sweet 16" team in only two seasons. Hiwassee was 27-6 in 1996 and advanced to the "Sweet 16" of the NJCAA National Tournament in Tyler, Texas. He took his team back to Tyler the following season by going 30-4, a school record for victories. Hiwassee was ranked in the nation's top 10 in scoring, team field goal percentage and team defense. They would also finish a school-best ranking of No. 9 in the country. Walsh's 66-23 record is one of the best in the history of Hiwassee College women's basketball.

Coach Walsh was named The National Junior College Athletic Association Regional Coach of the Year in 1996 and 1997, the Tennessee Junior College Coach of the Year in 1997 and was a finalist for the Women's Basketball Coached Association District IX Coach of the Year in 1997. Walsh was selected as the Great South Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 2000 and was a finalist for District Coach of the Year. He was garnered South Atlantic Conference Co-Coach of the Year and Division II South Atlantic Regional Coach of the Year in 2004 and 2006 which made him one of eight finalists for Division II National Coach of the Year.

Walsh, a nationally known women's basketball coach, has served on many national and WBCA committees. He is currently the Division II representative on the Male Coaches for Women's Basketball Committee. He has served as the Southeast Regional Ranking Selection Committee Chairman. He is also serving as the Southeast Regional representative for the WBCA NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year. He has been a member of the NCAA Division II Conference Captains Legislative Committee, and the NCAA Division III Conference Captains Legislative Committee.

He received his Bachelor of Arts from Maryville College in 1989 where he played basketball for four years. Walsh currently holds two school records at Maryville for field goal percentage in a season (.658) and field goal percentage in a career (.601).

Coach Walsh resides in Jefferson City with his wife Courtney and their two children Courtlyn-Olivia and Bayden-Henry. The Walshes are members of First Baptist Church of Jefferson City.