Whitaker, Vanderbeek and Immaculata AD Gambino talk Spartans’ splash with new football leadership

By the time the Q&A session cleared out, there they were: in their best suits, ready to take Immaculata football by storm.

Dallas Whitaker, a 2011 graduate and two-time state champion playing for Peirce Frauenheim had already talked to the kids. “I chose you,” he told them.

While that’s very likely the case, it’s also a little for him. It’s always been his dream job.

Whitaker caught the coaching bug at Rutgers, where he was a walk-on for Kyle Flood, but self-admittedly was “one of the least talented players on the team.” Sometimes that’s how coaches get into the profession, that moment of realization.

(Sometimes, that’s also how broadcasters get into their profession.)

Jeff Vanderbeek, who hired Whitaker as his offensive coordinator, then handed the reins to him a few years later, was there, too. In a package deal, he was hired along with Whitaker as the Football Program Coordinator Thursday, an organizational role well-suited to his talents.

As for Whitaker? He may not have the college stats, but he has plenty of coaching success.

After serving under Vanderbeek as offensive coordinator, Vanderbeek handed Whitaker the keys and the team went 36-6 under his leadership, finishing with a No. 4 ranking in the state (7-0) in the COVID-shortened 2020 season with one of the highest-octane no-huddle offenses you’ll ever see at the high school level.

Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko got a chance to sit down one-on-one with Whitaker, Vanderbeek and Immaculata Athletic Director Tom Gambino after a meet-and-greet Q&A at the school Thursday afternoon. Click below to listen.