MERRILLVILLE – The Andrean High School athletic family has put a fresh face on a program that has long been a mark of excellence in Northwest Indiana. The 59ers new athletic director said he was immediately impressed by the school’s culture of accomplishment and brotherly love.
“Almost from the get-go, everyone’s been using the word ‘family,’ the ‘Andrean family,’ and they really have made it feel very welcoming here,” said Neil Dimos. “Being an outsider, all the families, coaches, teachers and administrators that I’ve met have all been very welcoming.”
He continued, “One of the pillars here is service. And around here, they walk what they preach.”
An illustrative episode of the beneficence of students played out while Dimos was walking to one of his interviews before he began his tenure at Andrean this summer.
“I just saw an interaction between two kids – a senior and a freshman – the senior was passing the baton to the next (public address) announcer in the morning. That interaction between the kids was just a super moment to see,” said Dimos, who is a practicing Catholic.
Trading his Griffith High School black and gold for the red and gold of Andrean, Dimos left the AD spot at his alma mater, which he held since 2019, wanting to be a part of a storied school that is smaller, and can emphasize a personal experience for student-athletes.
“Being faith-based, I like that a lot. I liked the size of the school,” he added.
Dimos said the opportunity was “really appealing,” knowing that the interaction he can have among administrators, teachers, coaches and students is a chance to show leadership.
“(For) my job, my leadership style is ‘I want to give you the tools so that you can be successful,’” Dimos explained. “A boss says, ‘go.’ A leader says, ‘let’s go.’”
A 2002 GHS graduate, Dimos was a multi-sport athlete and a standout on coach Jack Gaber’s Panthers basketball squads as a power forward and two-guard. Gaber is a former Bishop Noll Institute basketball and baseball coach.
“That kind of led me down the entire path of my career,” said Dimos. “In my senior year, we did a basketball camp, and I worked with some of the kids, coaching and kind of fell in love with that.”
His college career took him to Ball State University, Indiana University and Indiana State University. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English education and earned a master’s degree in administrative leadership.
Dimos jokes that he visited nearly every college except for Purdue University, where his future wife, Kelly Dimos, attended. No joking matter, he said, are the parenting challenges when one’s first child is nearing “the 2’s”. His daughter, Stella Jane, is 20 months old and already has a 59ers onesie.
Dimos said he’s sold on the pillars of the Andrean experience – faith, learning, leadership, and service – and the general idea of a religious education. Many years from now, he hopes Stella Jane will be studying at 5959 Broadway or wherever the school’s home is located.
Upon the departure of AHS assistant athletics director Amy Moynihan this summer, the 59ers added Nathan Laird, former sports director at Region Sports Network. Laird, who also attended Griffith and Ball State, said he has been friends with Dimos since the seventh grade.
A new force in the 59ers athletic office, Dimos is confident that the “same vision” for success is shared by most everyone who is associated with the Merrillville Catholic school. But before he begins to make his mark in school history, he wished to tip his hat to Moynihan and outgoing AD Mike Schultz, who will lead the Munster High School athletic department.
“Mike (Schultz) left Andrean in a good spot,” Dimos said.
For those not familiar with school athletics, in particular the role of an athletic director, Dimos explained that there are many facets to the position from training coaches, to scheduling games with opponents, to growing revenue streams.
Andrean is a comparably small school and Dimos believes the empowering Indiana Choice Scholarship Program will help bolster enrollment in the years to come. He said AHS’s geographic draw is an advantage, but recruiting is competitive among local private and public schools.
For the school’s nine boys’ and nine girls’ sports, Dimos explained that Andrean student-athletes are held to a higher standard. The school overlays a more strict set of academic requirements than the Indiana High School Athletic Association does for those taking part in sports.
Dimos said seeing the pictures of 59ers framed on the walls – who played on state champion teams, went on to succeed in collegiate and professional athletics – and knowing who will work beside him in the athletic office, gives him every reason to aim high.
“In my personal opinion, with a hall-of-fame coach like (baseball) coach Dave (Pishkur), it kind of speaks and recruits for itself,” Dimos said. “His success in his program recruits itself; kids want to be a part of it. That kind of culture is something built over time.”
Dimos’ professional career started off with a coaching and teaching job right out of college, crediting his reputation among decision-makers at Gavit High School in Hammond.
Though mild-mannered, Dimos said he could get intense while coaching. Gaining experience in other aspects of athletic administration and communications allowed him to “see the completely other side of everything.”
Coaching and mentoring players remains close to his heart as do his Catholic educational memories of his years in CCD or faith formation,¬ first at the former Our Lady of Perpetual Help School, then at Our Lady of Grace and finally at St. Mary in Griffith.
“I was confirmed and married in the Catholic church,” he said of his affiliation with St. Mary. “Coming back to my faith is nice.”
Caption: New Andrean High School athletic director Neil Dimos is seated in the Merrillville school's gymnasium on Aug. 8. Dimos, a former AD at Griffith High School and member of St. Mary parish in Griffith, said he was inspired to lead student athletes from his days as a standout basketball player and hopes to build on the 59ers sports success. (Anthony D. Alonzo photo)