First-year Marian head coach Billy O’Gurek grew up playing with his hand in the dirt on the field for the Colts. Now, O’Gurek is looking to create new memories with the blue and gold, manning the sidelines at Men of Marian Stadium.

Coach O’Gurek’s love for Marian football started at just a young age. O’Gurek’s neighbor was Marian All-State fullback/linebacker Joe Gillespie. Gillespie was a key part of Marian’s 1990 state championship team and attended Maryland University on a full athletic football scholarship. O’Gurek remembers going to games early on in his youth to cheer on his neighbor and the team.

“I grew up around Marian football. My neighbor was Joe Gillespie who was a great player at Marian and my dad was working at the paper writing up games. It was something I really loved and became passionate about,” said O’Gurek.

O’Gurek then went onto play for famed head coach Stan Dakosty, where he suited up for the Colts from 1998-2000. During that span, Marian won two District 11 2A championships and advanced to two state eastern finals.

So, needless to say O’Gurek bleeds blue and gold, and when he got an opportunity to join the Marian coaching staff seven years ago, he jumped at the chance. This will be O’Gurek’s eighth year with the program - seven years as an assistant coach - and soon to be his first year as the head coach.

“I always wanted to get into coaching, and I always wanted to be a part of the program in that way. But with my job, we always needed to be out on the road, and I didn’t get home until 4:30, so I wasn’t able to do it,” said O’Gurek. “But then when we switched to be able to work from home, I thought to myself that now was a good time to get involved. So, I approached Coach Dakosty who was retiring at the time, and he put me in touch with Pat Morgans who was taking over and Pat took me on. I couldn’t be happier. I have learned so much during that time and now I’m about to start my first year as head coach. I’m excited to coach this team and get out there and compete.”

Dakosty returned to the program in 2020 and each year the Colts have worked to get back to their winning pedigree. Marian finished 7-5 last season, advancing to the District 11 1A championship. But Dakosty, who has over 320 wins and coached for over 40 years let the staff know that his coaching status was going to be year-to-year.

“Coach Dakosty approached me at the end of last season and asked me if the head coaching position was something I’d be interested in when he decided to step away, and if I was, that he would support me,” said O’Gurek. “I told him that I was interested. And looking back I really want to thank Coach Dakosty for everything that he did in mentoring me. They interviewed seven or eight candidates for the position, but Coach helped prepare me. Over the years, he introduced me to all the different facets of the position. Getting involved with the booster club, our academic tutoring program, the discipline process, all the things you need to know to do the job. Looking back, I can tell that wasn’t all on accident now.”

Next up for O’Gurek and the Colts is their season opener at home vs. Hanover Area at 7 p.m. tomorrow night. O’Gurek is just the third coach in the last 40-plus years to lead Marian onto the now Stan Dakosty Field under the lights.

“I’m honestly just honored to be the head coach here at Marian. The alumni network has been great and so supportive, and the entire coaching staff has come back from last season. We’re also getting some of our younger alumni involved in the program, which is always big,” said O’Gurek. “Marian is a special school. I’m grateful for this opportunity and I’m excited to get to work to continue the tradition that has been built here.”