Get to know Sun City West area multi-sport athlete Dean Madison
SUN CITY WEST, Ariz. — Meet Dean Madison, a man of many talents and passions – both in and outside of sports!
I have been playing sports since I was in the 5th grade. I played baseball, basketball, and flag football – not sure which sport I would have enjoyed more so I played them all. When I was 13 years old, my baseball team became National Champions in a tournament in Hersey, Pennsylvania. In high school, I played point guard in basketball. My basketball team won State Championships in my senior year in 1959. These two records are in the Beatrice Museum in Beatrice, Nebraska. My name is FAME!
After high school, I went on to college where I played point guard for two years, and then I got married. However, marriage didn’t stop me from carrying on my dream. I was hired as Assistant Coach at Beatrice High School and continued to coach for 30 years in my hometown. My high school students (boys) nicknamed me DADREAM. I even had my license plate made with DADREAM. I wasn’t quite sure what it all meant, but I was always the type of coach that encouraged them to play to the best level they could. I was there to offer support and direction to become the type of people they wanted to be as they grew into adulthood. I was always there for them, and they knew it – not just as their coach, but for those who may have needed that extra ear to listen to them. I wanted them to reach for the stars, and once they caught their star, to continue to follow their dreams throughout their life. Being a coach, you certainly want to strengthen their athletic ability but also use their team and individual skills to prepare them for what challenges are going to be coming along in life. When one knows he can be strong, breathe, and take one challenge at a time, one will grow into a person who will succeed in life – not regarding monetary success but where one wants to be.
In 1973, I decided to go home and help my ailing father with his home improvement business and continued that for over 40 years in Beatrice, Nebraska. In 2008, I decided it was time to get out of the snow and head to a warmer climate, and that’s when I landed in Sun City West. I couldn’t get away from basketball so I became the women’s Assistant Coach at Glendale Community College. I coached with them for three years and then decided to open my own business making screens, American Screens, which I continue to do today at the young age of 81.
I have always been one to be On The Go and believe in being the best you can be until you can no longer. Hopefully, that won’t be for a long time, as I am a 4.0 in pickleball and have lots of playing left to do. I play about 3 times a week and am like a crazy man on the court – all over the place, as I am on the dance floor! I am like the energizer bunny (but actually maybe worse). I also golf a few times a week and then there is dancing. I get many compliments on my dancing, but of course, it takes a good partner and teamwork; it’s not all about me.
I am also a very spiritual person. God is my strength and my core, and my family centers me. I am a very strong family person and Lutheran. I have three children and six grandchildren. I am proud of every one of them for who they are and the people they have become.
God, family, sports, and work have made me the man I am today and will continue to be!
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