Dupont resigns at Vandebilt

After 38 years, more than 200 wins and one of the most legendary coaching careers in the history of Louisiana prep football, Vandebilt Catholic coach Laury Dupont finally doesn’t have a “next season” to prepare for.

The successful coach announced this week that he is hanging up his whistle and clipboard, retiring from his position as the Terriers’ head coach.

Dupont’s resignation officially ends his coaching career with 227 wins and three state championships.

He will remain with the school as the athletics director, a position he’s held since being hired at Vandebilt.

“I’ve coached 38 years and they’ve been 38 great years,” Dupont said. “I’ve won more than my share of games. … Not too many coaches in high school can say they’ve been on the sidelines for 38 years. I’m at peace of mind with my family and with myself.”

Dupont’s resignation is because of health-related issues.

The 60-year-old former West St. John, Thibodaux and Terriers coach underwent surgery during the season for neck and spine issues.

The surgery forced him to miss a couple early season games for Vandebilt. He returned in the middle of the season and helped the team reach the playoffs.

But Dupont was never able to return to the sidelines with the ailment and was relegated to coaching from the press box.

He said he applauded the entire Vandebilt coaching staff for holding the team together in his absence, adding that he didn’t believe it was fair to anyone involved to continue in the profession if he couldn’t be 100 percent healthy and able to dedicate his full mind to the job.

“This is in the best interest of myself and my family and also the kids, as well,” Dupont said. “I wanted to make sure I did a good job coaching. Last year, I really wasn’t able to do as good a job as I’d have liked for our guys because of my health.”

Dupont’s resignation ends his Vandebilt career with a 19-15 record. He took the Terriers to the playoffs in each of his three seasons, including in 2009 and 2010 when the Terriers advanced past the opening round.

But Vandebilt wasn’t able to win a district title in Dupont’s tenure, the only source of disappointment the coach has from his time as the Terriers’ head man.

“That was our goal and we came close,” Dupont said. “Last year, we missed it by 1.4 seconds. This year, it came down to one quarter with Assumption. We were close. … We had a chance.”

But Dupont added that he believes the Terriers have an incredibly talented roster returning and that he is leaving the program is in “great shape.”

“The future is bright here,” Dupont said. “Without a doubt.”

Probably the biggest reason Dupont can talk definitively about the program’s bright future is because of his replacement, a coach rich with Vandebilt ties.

A day after Dupont decided to step down, the Terriers rewarded defensive coordinator Brad Villavaso, officially promoting him as the team’s new head coach.

Villavaso takes over with a deep history with the school, having already served as the Vandebilt head coach for more than a decade.

Both he and Dupont believe the program is in the right hands going forward.

“We were fortunate to have someone in house able to come in and do the job,” Dupont said. “He’s going to do a great job here.”

“I’m so thankful to [Vandebilt] for allowing me to come back and have this opportunity again,” Villavaso said. “Coach Dupont’s been fun to work with and over the last three years, I’ve learned a lot from him. … There will be some things he did here that will never leave as long as I’m the head coach. The guy obviously knows what he’s doing. His record speaks for itself.”

Villavaso first toted the clipboard at Vandebilt from 1996-2006.

He resigned following the 2006 season and joined Tri-parish native Ed Orgeron’s staff at Ole Miss, where he stayed for two seasons and coached under both Orgeron and Houston Nutt.

He returned to Vandebilt following his college stint and has been the Terriers’ defensive coordinator.

Villavaso said in his second stint with Vandebilt, he will keep his trademark 4-3 defense that will utilize a lot of zone blitzing schemes.

Offensively, the coach said he will blend a little bit from everything he’s learned from the coaches he’s worked with in the past.

“Some happy medium between grinding it out and spreading the field and playing finesse,” Villavaso said. “That’s what we’re shooting for.”

The coach also said he believes he’ll be more efficient this go-round at Vandebilt.

Villavaso admits he probably was a little too young to be calling the shots for a high school program in his first stint with the team.

He said looking back, he realizes he didn’t always budget his time properly, sometimes overworking his players.

That will change in his second stint.

“We will work both harder and smarter,” Villavaso said. “We didn’t necessarily always do that the first go-round.”

But Villavaso is quick to point out that the real story is about Dupont and the tremendous body of work the coach accumulated in his career.

Following a legend is never tough.

That’s exactly Villavaso’s task.

Because no one questions that Dupont is indeed a coaching legend, in every sense of the word.

“He’s been great,” Villavaso said. “Working with him has been nothing short of a joy for me. He’s one of the best in Louisiana history.

“Trust me, if it wouldn’t be for his health, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation right now, because he still loves the game. He’s a great man, truly. It’s been just great to learn from him.”

Vandebilt Catholic defensive coordinator Brad Villavaso paces the sidelines during a game last season. The Terriers assistant will serve as the team’s head coach following the retirement of legendary coach Laury Dupont. CASEY GISCLAIR