Mark Dean (American football)

Dean played football as a halfback at Northern Illinois University from 1935 through 1937; in addition, he spent one season as a member of the Huskies JV basketball team.

Dean began his coaching career in 1938 in West Des Moines, Iowa; after four years, he then moved on to Roodhouse High School in Roodhouse, Illinois, tallying a mark of 8–0, winning the 1942 conference title. He moved on to Jacksonville High School in Jacksonville, Illinois for the 1943 season and led the Crimson to a record of 4–4–1. From 1944 to 1945, Dean was a member of the U.S. Navy and coached the 16th Fleet basketball team.

Following World War II, Dean accepted the head coaching position at Austin Junior College, he led the Blue Devils to two winning seasons and the Minnesota Junior College Athletic Association title before resigning to accept the same position at Superior State Teacher's College, continuing to climb the coaching ladder; Dean accepted the head coaching job at Indiana State University; he held the position from 1951 to 1954, and the 1956 season.

Dean resigned after the 1956–57 academic year to return to his alma mater as an assistant to Howard Fletcher; he spent the next eight seasons helping to build a highly successful program; the Huskies won Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) titles in 1963 and 1964 and the AP National Championship (College Division) in 1963. Following the graduation of his son Jack in 1964, Dean resigned from coaching but continued to serve as an administrator until the early 1980s.

Dean is the father of fellow Northern Illinois University Hall of Famer Jack Dean (1961–1964). The one-time holder of the school's career all-purpose yardage record (3,668 yards), Dean, played halfback and quarterback for Fletcher, was named the Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Year honors as a senior, and pursued professional football with the Washington Redskins, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Edmonton Eskimos.