‘He’s Done So Much For Us’: Auburn JUST Confirmed The Departure Of Another Top Experience Star In A Statement
Nearly eight weeks after announcing his decision to retire at the end of the 2024 season, Auburn head softball coach Mickey Dean coached his final game with the Tigers on Sunday night, as Auburn lost 10-4 to Florida State in the Tallahassee Regional championship game.
Dean was accompanied in the postgame news conference by Auburn leftfielder KK McCrary and Auburn third baseman Annabelle Widra, both of whom had been sobbing, as seen by smeared black eyes and swollen red eyes.
Meanwhile, Dean appeared to be holding it together until it came time to answer the first question of the news conference.
“Has that even hit you yet?,” a reporter said, alluding to Dean’s final game as a Tigers coach.
Dean laughed, fumbling with a folded up napkin in his right palm.
“Yeah, it’s hit me,” Dean said.
When asked to expound on how he felt after coaching his final game for Auburn, Dean hesitated before finding the words.
“I’m just glad I got to share it with them,” Dean added, referring to his players who sat on each side of him.
And that was all he was going to say about it, trying not to let his emotions take over.
As for McCrary, who bent her head and covered her eyes, and Widra, who wiped away a tear with the right sleeve of her jersey, there was no point in attempting to contain their feelings.
“I’m forever in gratitude to Coach Dean. “I’ve just really enjoyed playing under him, and all I ever wanted was a chance and a jersey,” said McCrary, who will transfer to Auburn in 2023 after two seasons at Tennessee.
Auburn announced Dean’s retirement at the end of the 2024 season in a press release on March 26, two days after the Tigers were swept on the road by Texas A&M, putting them to 2-7 in SEC play.
According to the announcement, Dean made his choice after “several previous conversations.”
“This was my decision and while it was a difficult one, it is what I felt was best for me and the program moving forward to allow me to focus time on personal matters,” Dean stated in the press statement.
This season, Dean’s last, Auburn ended 29-21-1 (9-15 SEC), the Tigers’ second-worst record during Dean’s seven-year tenure, excluding the Covid-shortened season in 2020.
And the fact is that the task will not get much easier as Texas and Oklahoma, the current No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in the NCAA Tournament, prepare to join the SEC next season.
Chances are, Dean realized this and felt it wouldn’t be in Auburn’s best interests if he stayed and tried to balance coaching duties with whatever personal concerns required his attention.
So the Mickey Dean era comes to an end.
“I just think we feel very grateful to Coach Dean… “He’s done so much for us,” Widra explained. “I believe we’re just going to take a little time to commemorate our season and our seniors because we had a fantastic group. And then, with the introduction of the new coach, we’ll return ready to grind and do it all over again.
With Auburn’s season officially finished, the focus shifts to Auburn athletic director John Cohen, who is looking for Dean’s replacement. And with a pair of powerhouses in Texas.
