Whether it was writing personal checks to cover college application fees, taking student athletes on college tours, co-signing a student loan, or driving students to college interviews — just to name a few — coach David Dempsey went above and beyond for hundreds of youths that he coached and mentored in Lynn.

And his legacy will live forever through the Coach David Dempsey Scholarship Fund that his sister Paula Pomasi Dempsey started.  

“These are little things that I could do to take down some of the hurdles,” Dempsey said.  

Dempsey grew up in the America Park housing projects in Lynn and he said as a disadvantaged youth growing up in the city, he felt the need to always give back to those who face similar challenges. As he matured Dempsey became a prominent leader on and off the football field. 

David Morales, who Dempsey coached at Lynn Classical, and Paula worked to establish the scholarship in partnership with the Essex County Foundation (ECCF). The $25,000 scholarship fund will enable other students like Dempsey to succeed in life and advance their education. 

Dempsey’s football career began in 1964 in the Pop Warner football league. At the time, there was only one Pop Warner Team in Lynn, Dempsey said. 

“That was my beginning in football, football gave me a way in my life to kind of keep me out of trouble,” he said. “Growing up in the housing projects there were a lot of temptations and a lot of ways that I could have gone, but football allowed me to create an avenue for myself.” 

There were many people in his life who helped him make good decisions, Dempsey said. He didn’t grow up with a lot of money and started working at the age of 14. 

Dempsey was the football team captain at Lynn Classical in 1969 and graduated in 1970. 

As a coach at Classical, Dempsey would take five or six sophomores who played football and would drive to the University of North Carolina and Duke University, and different schools.

“The reason I did that was because I wanted them to see what was available out there for them,” Dempsey said.  “A lot of kids in Lynn grow up, and I did too, I didn’t know until someone introduced me and I started playing football, they only see what’s outside their window.”

“They think sometimes what they see on TV with these beautiful colleges and these campuses that that’s not real for them, that it’s not attainable for them,” he said.

Dempsey said he used the football program at Lynn Classical to give his players every opportunity to advance their lives. 

“That’s what basically saved my life and gave me an avenue and I think that’s what a lot of kids need,” he said. 

If they commit to football he said he wanted to make a full commitment to them. 

Dempsey is the only boy out of five sisters. He was inducted into the Lynn Classical Hall of Fame in 2021. He also spent 30 years in special education.

“It’s humbling for me to be able to come and coach with these young guys but also its rewarding and I’ve always loved football,” he said. 

Football gives him a feeling of tranquility and relaxation, he said. His philosophy is to always work hard and stay committed.

It was important to take care of young men, he said. 

“It’s not about the x’s and the o’s it’s about the Jimmy’s and the Joes,” he said.

Dempsey said now he coaches the sons and even grandsons of former players.

“That’s where I am now. Now I have the sons of my players and I have the grandsons of my players and I have the nephews, and I think intrinsically that’s the reward that I get now.”

The goal, he said, is to perform to the best of your ability. 

“People used to say practice makes perfect and I’d just say to them all the time, you’re wrong practice doesn’t make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect and so that’s what I always said.”

Paula graduated from Lynn Classical in 1969. She saw firsthand the effect her brother had in the community. 

“He had an opportunity to go west with a full scholarship to play football and decided to stay local,” she said.

Dempsey received his undergraduate degree in education at Salem State, and master’s degrees in special education and school administration at Cambridge College.

“He served multiple communities as coach but his strongpoints were his desire to help young men, young boys succeed in high school and then on in college,” Paula said. “He has mentored, provided access to college applications, access to interviews, through transportation, through his ability to provide proper clothing to attend university interviews for young men that wanted to get a college degree.”

Paula said her brother encouraged the young boys to earn good grades, work hard, exhibit strong leadership and good citizenship as well as working hard on the football field.

“His leadership was always about working hard, doing the best you can, never giving up, hanging in there and moving forward both intellectually as a student and academically,” she said.  

Paula said coach Dempsey mentored “hundreds and hundreds of students.”

At the Lynn Classical Hall of Fame induction ceremony, her brother’s fellow football players from all over the country flew in to honor him, she said. He “taught them to play football but also taught them how to be a leader in life,” and go on to do good things in fields like business and education. 

Paula said there are tons of people in the Lynn community who can speak to his dedication and influence.

“He continued to represent the fact that every life is important, every student needs a chance, every male needs a male role model on and off the field,” Paula said. 

He motivated youth to go on to college or pursue a trade and “made many success stories happen.”

Paula said it was important to honor her brother with this scholarship to try to ease the burden for students who struggle growing up 

“Even though I left the area –I live in Texas –I wanted to reach back to my high school, his high school, my siblings’ high school and do something for the students that may be in the same predicament that we were in maybe they’re not, maybe they just need a small scholarship or a small lift,” she said. 

“I’m proud of him as my brother, my mother was proud of him as a son and again many of the young men and their families have been so thankful and so proud of him for what he has done for them over the years,” Paula said. 

Paula said his legacy began as a Pop Warner player and continued on through high school and as a coach. 

“Always facing your challenges with your chin up and your compassion for your fellow players, he wanted his players to learn that they were teammates that when one succeeds, everyone succeeds,” she said.

As an economically disadvantaged student himself Paula said it was vital for coach to assist kids in similar situations. 

“He listened to their needs long past his stint as coach Dempsey,” she said. “He graduated in 1970.  In 2024 he’s still having families call him and say talk to my son, watch him play his football games..that’s true legacy,” she said. 

Paula said her brother gets calls all the time from people showing gratitude  and recognizing him for what he did for young people. 

One of those people is Morales, who said Dempsey has been mentoring young people since he started working professionally in the 1980’s.

“He has been instrumental in enabling young people to lead incredible lives like me,” Morales said. 

More than 50 people signed a letter supporting coach Dempsey’s candidacy at the Lynn Classical Hall of Fame, Morales said. These are all people who Dempsey helped in some shape or form. 

As a middle linebacker at Lynn Classical, Morales described Coach Dempsey’s coaching style. He said Dempsey was “a gentleman, a leader, thoughtful, caring, decisive, competitive.”

“He understands when people need support, he understands when people need an extra level of mentoring to get to their next level,” Morales said. 

Morales said the scholarship fund honoring coach Dempsey honors a life of service and will help offer some financial support to students who may need an extra boost, and “reminds young people that there are folks in the community ready, willing and able to support their journey.”

Morales said there are a couple things that make Dempsey’s story unique. 

“First is that coach Dempsey has never ever asked for credit, has never ever asked for recognition, ever, No. 1. No. 2, that he’s impacted so many people that have gone on to do incredible things,” Morales said. “His impact on our lives has been nothing short of remarkable. And No. 3,the fact that he is still doing it. He is still active trying to mentor young men and women.”

Dempsey now mentors Morales’ oldest son Anthony as assistant coach at Lynnfield, where he accepted a football coaching role last fall.. Things came full circle, Morales said. 

“The incredible part was when I played, I was team captain, he handed me the coaches award when I was a senior at Classical for football. And 30 years later, he handed the same award to my son at Lynnfield High School, co-captain, he handed him the coaches award, talk about a legacy.”