Dopek named Track head coach
Shaymus McLaughlin
Issue date: 7/29/10 Section: Sports
If you ever see Dave Dopek walking around campus, one thing will probably run through your head: Why is he not dressed in blue and orange every Sunday during the fall, lining up next to Brian Urlacher? At 6' 4" and seemingly made of pure muscle, Dopek strikes an imposing figure. His eyes, a dark brown, house an intensity to match.
Talk to him, however, and a much different attitude is displayed.
"He's very personable," said Nate Stetzler, the track manager who has worked with Dopek for years now. "He has a hard outside shell, but once you get to know him, you realize how easy-going and approachable he is."
He's relaxed as well.
This day, Dopek was leaning back in his office chair, both hands on his head. His outfit of choice: Nike running shoes, some athletic shorts and a simple athletic t-shirt. All he needed to complete the relaxed look was his feet on the desk.
"I'm a bit of a laid-back guy," he said with a small, understated smile.
And at this point, he should be at ease. A 16-year coaching veteran with DePaul and still the school's only NCAA champion, Dopek was recently named the head coach of the Track and Field program.
"I've seen four different assistants, only one of whom is still here," he said. "And it's really given me an opportunity to, from the outside… look at how these people interact with staff, administrators, colleagues, athletes, and really pick apart what seems to be effective, and what isn't."
Dopek's new position is another advancement in what has become a storied athletic career. He grew up as a Cubs fan on the north side of Chicago, an energetic kid who never stopped moving.
"I was outside, always running around, always playing baseball or football, steering clear of basketball and soccer," he said, noting that he didn't play hoops because he "got tired of people looking at my height and assuming I played basketball."
Track came late to him, however. He began running his junior year of high school, after his weightlifting teacher watched him run a 60-yard dash, liked his speed and wanted him to play football. The head football coach, also Dopek's wrestling coach all throughout high school, had the young athlete run track to help improve his running.
Talk to him, however, and a much different attitude is displayed.
"He's very personable," said Nate Stetzler, the track manager who has worked with Dopek for years now. "He has a hard outside shell, but once you get to know him, you realize how easy-going and approachable he is."
He's relaxed as well.
This day, Dopek was leaning back in his office chair, both hands on his head. His outfit of choice: Nike running shoes, some athletic shorts and a simple athletic t-shirt. All he needed to complete the relaxed look was his feet on the desk.
"I'm a bit of a laid-back guy," he said with a small, understated smile.
And at this point, he should be at ease. A 16-year coaching veteran with DePaul and still the school's only NCAA champion, Dopek was recently named the head coach of the Track and Field program.
"I've seen four different assistants, only one of whom is still here," he said. "And it's really given me an opportunity to, from the outside… look at how these people interact with staff, administrators, colleagues, athletes, and really pick apart what seems to be effective, and what isn't."
Dopek's new position is another advancement in what has become a storied athletic career. He grew up as a Cubs fan on the north side of Chicago, an energetic kid who never stopped moving.
"I was outside, always running around, always playing baseball or football, steering clear of basketball and soccer," he said, noting that he didn't play hoops because he "got tired of people looking at my height and assuming I played basketball."
Track came late to him, however. He began running his junior year of high school, after his weightlifting teacher watched him run a 60-yard dash, liked his speed and wanted him to play football. The head football coach, also Dopek's wrestling coach all throughout high school, had the young athlete run track to help improve his running.
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