 He later won the gold medal in the men's 200-meter butterfly event at the 1991 Pan American Games in Havana, Cuba.Dean began swimming at the age of 6 and emerged on the international stage under the tutelage of Kansas City Blazers head coach, Pete Malone.He graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), after competing for coach Ron Ballatore's UCLA Bruins swimming and diving team and earning recognition as an All-American athlete.