SLIPPERY ROCK — The right place at the right time.

Those two factors helped land Dan Follett as the Slippery Rock Area School District's new athletic director.

The 2007 Seneca Valley graduate was approved for the position in June. His first day on the job was Monday.

John Osborne resigned as athletic director at Slippery Rock last March. Fred Pryor filled the position through the end of the school year.

Follett served as boys volleyball coach at SV for four seasons (2013-17) and was the district's assistant athletic director for the last three years.

“I will always have a soft spot in my heart for Seneca Valley, but it was time for me to take a different path, something I can call my own,” said Follett, 29. “Slippery Rock has great facilities, a great administration and I'm very excited about the athletic programs here. It's still Butler County, which is home for me.”

Follett worked under Seneca Valley athletic director Heather Lewis, beginning with the 2015-16 school year.

“Heather is extremely good at her job and I learned as much as I could from her,” he said. “My main duties at Seneca were facility and equipment management, but I got a mix of other things, too.

“I had two formal interviews at Slippery Rock. I went into them confident in my abilities because of my experience at Seneca Valley and I let that be known.”

Follett was a volleyball star at both Seneca Valley and Juniata College in Huntingdon County, where he earned degrees in history and secondary education.

“I went to Mercer University in Georgia to earn my Master's in education,” he added. “While I was there, I worked in the athletic department and that's where I got a taste for it (athletic director).”

Follett returned to Seneca Valley in 2012 and took over the boys volleyball program he helped bring to prominence as a player. After two years of pulling double duty as coach/assistant athletic director, he stepped down from coaching last year.

“It was tough to do that because volleyball will always be my passion,” said Follett, “but I knew I had to resign as coach to take the next step in my career.”

There is enough to keep Follett busy prior to the school year beginning next month.

“I'll be finalizing eligibility and scheduling and making sure our facilities are ready to go for the fall sports season,” he said.

“I'm meeting a lot of people, somebody new every day and that's exciting. The people here are great. They are invested not only in the school district, but also the community. There's a small-town feel to it and I like that.”