WINDSOR – Bertie High School made another significant football hire Thursday.

Late Thursday afternoon new Bertie Head Football Coach Greg Watford introduced Mike Dail as the Falcons’ new Defensive Coordinator. Dail, a 20-plus-year veteran of high school football, leaves his post as Head Football Coach at Lawrence Academy to accept the new role.

“We’re excited to have someone with Mike’s experience and love for the game joining us at Bertie High School,” Watford said. “He has a proven track record as a quality football coach and a quality person.

“When you’re working with young men to help them learn football skills and life skills, you can never have enough good people around you,” he added. “Coach Dail provides our young men another good role model and mentor to go along with an already excellent coaching staff.”

Dail said there were several reasons he agreed to accept the post, starting with the Falcons’ new coach.

“I’ve known Coach Watford a long time going back to his first head coaching job over at Southeast Halifax,” Dail said. “I have always liked him and always knew he would be a good Head Football Coach.

“He’s always been good with kids and worked his rear end off to get his kids opportunities to play at the collegiate level,” Dail added. “It reminds me of what I tried to do over in Northampton County.”

He said Watford’s initial contact was enough to get him interested in the opportunity and that the two had been talking regularly before Watford officially offered him a spot on the staff last week. Dail accepted early this week.

Dail said he was also excited about the opportunity to work at a school with the football tradition of Bertie High.

“To try to be a part of something like that before I retire is appealing,” Dail said. “Even when I was at Northampton-West, we knew who Bertie was. Over the years, I’ve known the tradition and now I’m excited to be part of it and hopeful to contribute to it.’

Dail, who will continue to manage Basnight’s office in Windsor, said he had talked with the late Roy Bond several times at the home improvement store. Bond, who had the stadium at Bertie posthumously dedicated in his honor last year, led the Falcons to a pair of state titles.

“I was fortunate enough to have several conversations with Coach Bond before he passed away,” Dail said. “He’d come in and we’d sit around and talk about football. He was a wealth of knowledge and I enjoyed learning even more about the Bertie tradition.”

Dail served as Head Football Coach at Lawrence Academy twice during his career. The first time was in late 1990s when he was also Athletic Director.

He was lured out of coaching retirement three years ago to take over the Warrior program again.

Before going to Lawrence, Dail served as an assistant football coach at Northampton County High School – West for more than 10 seasons before being named the Hurricanes’ Head Football Coach.

During the 1996 season, he led the Hurricanes to a conference championship and advanced to the third round of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 1-A playoffs.

Dail said he was committed to Bertie High School and Bertie County in general.

“This is Carolyn’s home,” Dail said, referring to his wife. “She came to Roanoke Rapids and got me and brought me back. I never thought I’d leave Northampton County, but this is home now. This is a good place to live.”

Dail will begin his duties with the Falcons immediately.