New Texas A&M-Commerce football coach can rely on his cousin for advice
Dec. 12—COMMERCE — Texas A&M University-Commerce's new head football coach Clint Dolezel can look inside the family if he needs some valuable advice about coaching football.
His cousin is Dan Campbell, the current head coach of the Detroit Lions. Campbell played tight end in the NFL from 1999 to 2009 with the Giants, Cowboys, Lions and Saints and has previously served as an assistant and interim head coach in the NFL with the Dolphins and Saints.
"I've been pleased to be around him," said Dolezel.
Dolezel has been around quite a few head coaches as a player at what was then called East Texas State, then as a player and coach in indoor professional football.
"You can learn a lot from great coaches," he said, noting that you can also "learn what not to do."
Dolezel pointed out that he was the last starting quarterback for East Texas State before it changed its named to Texas A&M University-Commerce.
He threw for 3,152 yards and 22 touchdowns in the 1992 and 1993 seasons as a starting quarterback under Eddie Vowell. He also lettered in track and field as a high jumper and javelin thrower and lettered in golf for the Lions.
"I owe this college a lot," he said.
Dolezel said he learned a lot from Vowell and also "butted heads" at times with his head coach because both are competitors who want to win.
He'll be looking for "great athletes" and players "with a chip on their shoulder" to compete for the Lions.
"But we want some smart ones, too," he said.
"We're going to compete, we're going to work hard and we're going to do it right...and I hope we're going to make this college proud."
Dolezel said the Lions' coaching staff will "set the trend by example."
Dolezel competed as a quarterback in indoor professional football from 1995 to 2008, throwing for 44,564 yards and 931 touchdowns, with 155 interceptions.
He began his head coaching career in indoor pro football with the San Angelo Stampede Express in 2010. He's also coached the Dallas Vigilantes, the Philadephia Soul and the Beijing Lions in China, compiling a career record of 102-43 with victories in the ArenaBowl XXIS and XXX in 2016 and 17 and the China Bowl in 2016.
Indoor football games are noted for high scores so Dolezel was asked at his press conference in Commerce what style offense the Lions will run.
"We're going to take care of the football, that's the main thing," he said. "We're going to add some wrinkles. Yes, we're going to score. We're going to play good defense."
When asked about the Southland Conference Dolezel said, "Beating Incarnate Word. You always look for the bully of the conference. We're going to grow every year and we're going to improve. I won't want to be anybody's whipping post."
Dolezel is taking over from David Bailiff, who went 23-13 in three seasons with the Lions, including a 5-6 season in 2022, their first in the Southland Conference and in NCAA Division I.
