Sydney Boettcher

Staff Writer

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Andre Dean, head coach of the NMC Varsity Esports program, departed after nearly five years with the program. Dean started working for NMC Esports in June 2021 as a coach for the Rocket League team and a stream commentator. As the program grew, he was appointed the first head coach. As of February 2026, he is no longer an employee of NMC. 

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“I miss it. It was a huge part of my life.” Dean told the White Pine Press. He described leaving like “having to let go of a baby I’ve been taking care of for almost five years.”

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Dean’s doing alright for himself. He has a new job lined up as an Audio Visual Engineer at Leelanau Sands Casino & Lodge. He also spoke highly of NMC, “It’s a great working environment.”

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Dean’s presence is missed by students. Everyone I spoke to was sad to see him go. Keiara Pettengill, a current player on the “League of Legends” team and former “Overwatch” player, spoke fondly of him. “He has a lot of love for the esports program & community he created.”

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She recounted a story where some of the “Overwatch” players and Andre were going to Screams In The Dark, a local haunted house. Andre sent out a general invite to the entire program. At the end of it, most of the other “Overwatch” players and some of the “Apex Legends” players went all together. Pettengill said it was “a great way to get to know people.”

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The coach for the “Smash Bros Ultimate” team, Jamey Henderson, known to the team by his username Zombryra (or Bry), had worked with Dean since 2023, when he helped organize the North’s Strongest tournament, among others. He described Dean as helpful and spoke fondly of his experience working with him. “I enjoyed Andre’s presence with the program. It’s definitely weird not seeing him around.”

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Jay Pohl, a second-year student and player for the “Smash Bros Ultimate” team, shared an anecdote of Dean driving him and some other members of the team to a local tournament two hours away. He joked that since Dean never uploaded any of the team’s game replays for them to review, “[The] full semester’s replays are essentially lost media.”

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Pohl expressed hope for the program’s future. “I’m sad that [Andre] is gone, but Trey has been great so far, and it really seems that he’s already dedicated to improving our esports program as a whole for next semester. I still wish Andre could be here with him, though.”

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Trey Smith is the interim coach for Esports while NMC searches for someone to fill Andre’s position.

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Dean remains an Audio Technology student here at NMC and will graduate with the class of 2027.