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‘Been a long time coming:’ Dell McGee introduced as Georgia State football coach

By Courtney Martinez, WSBTV.com

Dell McGee introduced

By Courtney Martinez, WSBTV.com

ATLANTA — For Dell McGee, the chance to run a college football program has been an opportunity he has been waiting for.

McGee has coached on the high school and collegiate level in Georgia for the past 21 years, most recently as the University of Georgia’s running back coach.

On Monday, Georgia State University officially introduced McGee as the Panthers’ head football coach.

“I am very humbled and honored to be in this position. It’s been a long time coming. I’m very gracious for this opportunity to lead this program,” he said.

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“When you walk in this building, you see a sign that has the three core values of our athletic program: Compete with a purpose, Selflessness, and Be a Positive Leader,” Director of Athletics Charlie Cobb said. “That’s what I kept going back to in this process, and I think Dell exhibits those qualities. He’s a winner, he’s a leader and he exudes positivity.”

At his introduction news conference, McGee said he had the chance to meet with the players. He’s ready to hit the ground running and spring practices will start back up after the school’s spring break.

“I told them we’re going to get the right coaches in place to make them better versions of themselves and compete for championships. And they were very ecstatic. I can tell they’re eager to get to work,” he said.

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McGee is a Georgia native. He grew up in Columbus and played high school football for Kendrick High School before he played college football for Auburn University.

After a brief professional football career, McGee returned home to Georgia and coached at Harris County, Greenville and Carter-Columbus high schools.

Then, former Auburn coach Gus Malzahn gave him a shot on the college level. McGee thanked Malzahn and his other mentors for preparing him for a head coaching job.

He even mentioned his old boss Willie Fritz from “the school down South,” referring to their time together at Georgia State’s biggest rival, Georgia Southern. McGee served as interim head coach for the Eagles bowl game in 2015.

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