Coach Dave was born and raised in East Lansing, Michigan and attended Michigan State University. After graduating in 1997 with a Bachelor's in Biology he moved to Alaska to work for the Forest Service. In 2001, he received a Master's of Arts in Teaching and has since worked as a math and science teacher at DHMS. He began coaching in the JDIA youth hockey organization during the inaugural season in 2003. He has since served as a coach with each age level from Dynamites through Bantams, including being head coach for Juneau's first comp-level AA team in 2018.