Dane Roman, 43, who had been Mission Bay High School’s football coach, was found dead in his home in Ocean Beach on July 30.
Roman was found by assistant coach Kevin Peterson after he failed to show up the day before for gear distribution, and that day for the first day of practice.
After finding Roman’s home dark, Peterson contacted San Diego police, who entered the home and confirmed Roman was deceased. The County Medical Examiner has not yet released the cause of death.
Condolences were sent out by MBHS principal Ernest Remillard and vice principals Nella Landau and Erin Leszynski in an email.
“It is with a heavy heart that we share with you that our football coach, Dane Roman, has passed away,” the letter read. “RRoman was beginning his second year as our head football coach and coached with the district for almost seven years.”
Roman was hired as the high school’s new coach in 2018. He had been an assistant coach at several area schools in the past, including Mission Bay from 2012-16. Following his hiring, Roman said his focus was on “grades, nutrition, faith, family and football.” Grief counselors were available at MBHS following Roman’s death for the benefit of aggrieved students and staff.
“I always appreciated coach Roman’s passion to support our players and his willingness not only to coach the student’s success on the field, but also to see the student athletes be successful in the classroom and in life,” Remillard said. “When we interviewed Roman, he spoke with us about the importance of family and connecting with students who may need a place on the campus. “I appreciated when he came to speak with me about concerns he had for a student, and it always started with, ‘I want to help.’ He also loved to celebrate our students and their success on and off the field.”
Roman had also been a track coach at MBHS. He was co-owner of the Beachcomber bar in Mission Beach.
“We hired Dane because he’s an experienced coach, member of the Pacific Beach community, and someone who is concerned not only with the students’ performance on the field, but their character off of it, as well,” athletic director Jorge Palacios said. There will be a memorial gathering for Roman from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Aug 18 at Off Shore Grill on Morena Boulevard. In addition, Mission Bay High School will be honoring the memory of Roman at its football game at San Ysidro at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 23 (Sports freelancer Dave Thomas contributed to this article.)
