National Football Foundation

The Northwestern team leader in total offensive yards, passing yards and punting yards in 1975 and 1976, Randy Dean recorded the sixth-highest punt average in a season in school history in 1975 (42.5) and is the only quarterback in the top-eight for career punting average (38.5). The co-captain of the 1976 team and team MVP of the 1975 squad, he completed 188-of-377 passes for 2,699 yards and 11 touchdowns in two seasons at quarterback and booted 154 punts for 5,925 yards in three seasons as the team’s punter. In 1976, Dean ranked first in the Big Ten in passing yards per attempt (7.8) and passer rating (118.4). The previous year, he ranked second in the Big Ten in pass completions (101), pass attempts (200), completion percentage (50.5), passing yards (1,315) and total plays (279).  

Compiling a 3.93 GPA in industrial engineering, Dean was a two-time Academic All-American and 1975 Academic All-Big Ten selecton. He was a member of Phi Eta Sigma, Tau Beta Pi and made the honor list of the Tech Institute.

Dean was selected in the fifth round (117^th overall) of the 1977 NFL Draft by the New York Giants and played three seasons with the Giants. In 23 games, he completed 30-of-65 passes for 279 yards and a touchdown. Dean also rushed for 150 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. He was also a handball player for the American team that finished 10th in the 1976 Summer Olympics. He played all five matches and scored 24 goals, to tie for the team lead.

In 1990, Dean earned his master’s in Operations Management from Northwestern and served as a founding partner for Keldar, Inc., a small business consulting firm focused on strategic planning, performance management systems and selection & hiring systems. In 1997, he took the role of Director of Development at the University School of Milwaukee and took over as the school’s athletics director in 2003. Dean is currently the Executive Director of the Pettit National Ice Center in Milwaukee.