OptionFootball

Great Thread. I have posted in several other threads about this situation. Today is the day of unless your in and have tenure then you will likely stay on the coaching carousel for years. It use to be good for both to have some change, but now it is only in favor of the District. There are very few instances any more that coaches have a staff of teachers that coach. I have seen programs that were made up of para-professionals. This is okay but it hurts continuity and coaches need to be in the building. Today many times they say it is not about winning/but it all about winning. Unfortunately, you may be coach of the year every year, but the Principal may not like your success. If they are failing in their position they very well may not like anyone being successful. I have seen it happen time and time again. Look at the people that are moving and just getting out. Not a sign of the times, but lack of the professionalism.

This is what happens when someone is successful, but someone that has more power does not like it. I have said it any many post on these open positions. Coach Frazier is being punished for his success. Supt. coached and was never the HEAD coach. This situation like many across the state is putting the quality of football on the line in this state. Football is very important in many communities, and you can look at the number of high quality coaches that have either left coaching, taken a different position, most of the time at a school where football was terrible or was not supported. I am going to watch some more of these moves, but I do not think Coach Frazier will leave a State Championship opportunity for his son even if he just watches. The new coach is on the staff. Good Luck

Snowed Under, sounds to me that the Principal may be listening to Supt if Former GCHS coach is a Front Runner. I think both(Principal/Supt) realize that this hire because of community importance may define their tenures as well. When you hire employs, it like jumping out of an air plane. Once you are out of the plane or the job is offered you are committed. Looks like Tobacco Land is the Promised Land. Best of Luck to all.

I think they have let the smoke clear. So what they have gone after some good coaches. Dudley tests the water every year and test his stock, Paul Rains is always testing the market, and both of these guys are winners/get results. Coach Lucas from Somerset is also a great young coach that inherited a program the was in good shape, but a tough place/as well as tough place to Win. All these coaches are worth the offer. Problem is the under current from all the negativity that surrounds the program. If Black is allowed to stay then the undermining will be tough to overcome. Personally, I would like to see a guy like Mike Whitaker, David Hensley or Clark Teague get a shot. All of these guys have done a good job where they have been, and understand the seriousness of Mountain Football. Mike Campbell is the AD/Past Coach understands what has to happen for the program to move forward the four letter word (WORK), but it is time to hire and quit playing Dodge Ball and put the HOUNDS on the Schedule. The right coach could make this 100,000 gate all it takes is hiring a winner and putting the old coach on the road.

Doyle, it also impressive when those meetings take place and the AD never was an athlete and says this is a business decision. You have to play Team A - #1, Team C - #3, and Team D #5, not to mention your games where you play two classes above, and by the way you need to WIN the district. Coach - why do we have to play this schedule - We have to fund 13 sports so you have to play the schools that will pay us to play them. This is starting to sound very familiar to a lot of coaches, or x coaches.

Central Sports, if you have read my above post then I take it that you believe what I have written. It is the reason Garrard does not deserve a good coach. If the only time that any of these guys have been part of success is when they had talent then Garrard needs to put up their equipment. I know some of the teams Perry and Hester had were very below average talent wise and they still produced, not signs of good coaches but great coaches. Danville is Danville and they have had good and bad teams, but like everyone they have more talent than most in the Classes they played in with 7 or 8 state championships with Perry at D-Coordinator, same with Hester at Boyle. You guys need to be realistic. I am done Perry/Hester/Hodge would be like bringing back Lombardi from the dead for your program. You will not out work these guys, you may not like them, but all get results.

Perry, Hodge, Hester are all WINNERS!!! with Garrard ties. Unless the Supt. makes this decision, then it will turn out like a famous story in the Bible when Jesus could not overcome the ignorance of his own people. It amazes me year after year to see programs that will not give their own a chance to do something special. This is usually what happens when people that have been put in a leadership role cannot get 5 people to folllow them, but a good football coach and unite a community. Again, this Superintendent has seen these things transpire many times, and I believe he will bring in someone that will unite from above list, even if it hurts someone's feelings or causes them to lose some attention.

Purple, someone that wants the job. Hodge is competitive and this will be the knock against him. Because his name has been and will be mentioned for a lot of jobs (this makes him a bad guy), on the other hand if he was a loser. Then he would be looking for another reason. This is what I do not understand. Other coaches/fans/loyalist will bash coaches that build a program say like a Bourbon/Casey/or another non-traditional WINNING programs. They will say things or make things up that are not true just because these programs are not suppose to be successful. I have even heard said they were cheating because these programs are not capable of winning.

Purple, I think I like your style. Bottom line there are coaches that have been fired, and those that are going to be fired. There is just no escaping it at any level. If you do then you are special, very special!. Bottom line at the end of the day it about WINNING! and nothing else. If you believe any different then you need to do something else. You can be the best teacher in the District, but if you do not WIN and WIN big, and do not disrupt the political alliances that hurt little Johnny that needs to play right guard, but wants to run the rocks feelings then you may be able to get tenure. If not you are in the coaching carousel, and may never get out. The day of any coach being around long enough to get tenure today.

You have a Superintendent that understands the importance of every aspect of a school system. This is huge today. 90% of a Supt problems comes from 10% of what they have say so in. However, Mr. Mullins will not fall into this trap, he realizes the importance of what this means to the community, know different to his employment. Question do you want Stability? Great Program? and Respect?, but do not care how long someone is willing to stay then Perry is the best. On the same note and looking for a long haul coach which is 5+ years today (Hodge or Jaggers), both very quality coaches that are going to get results. I feel the same about Hester as about Perry, but when you follow a good as he did then you do not get the respect you deserve. You must remember this is a business decision, and I can assure you Mullins how important this is.

There is a belief in most college football programs within the state (excluding NAIA), that Kentucky players really are not good enough. I remember back in the late 80's I worked a college football camp where a young man by the name of Mo Williams a FR/So in High School here in Kentucky, and he had a sister that ran track at EKU. The family moved his Jr year in High School to Georgia. Scary to know that he was only recruited by a few schools, but he ended back up at UK. If he had not gone to camp he would have not been discovered. (Point is there are plenty of GREAT PLAYERS that go unnoticed), but when you are losing you listen to someone else about who 5 stars are and do not decide for yourself. (Roy Kidd's staff recruited the Heart and Soul from Kentucky, but got players from everywhere. While Florida has always seemed to be the scapegoat, many great players like John Klingel, Dave Miller, Murphy, Spdifino, Victor Parks, and on and on came from the North. High School Football in this state is much better than it was 30 years ago. Gone form around 2,600 to around 7,000 playing the game. Just give them a chance.

I remember the late 90's like it was yesterday and the struggles that Coach Smith had to go through to build the program at Boyle Co. While he was able to surround himself with many great coaches it did not come easy. I think the season before the first title they were 4-6. When he left he really had no choice (He had won the titles) and was going to coach where he played at a WIN/WIN. However, you must remember there are coaches that have been fired and the one's that will be fired. He was working for one that got fired. That all being said I think he feels that this is where his success as a coach started and he wants back in a environment that loves football. While he may not Win another Title, but I feel he will. He as Larry French have made a difference at Boyle County. Fortunately, Coach Smith can come back and continue to make a difference at Boyle, where many would never be given a chance. Best of Luck to Coach Smith and Boyle Co.

I would assume that Coach Smith has at least 25+ years in. That would mean that he likely would have at least 200+ sick days. How they come up with this calculation is based on the number of day x daily rate = to the district that employs this person also takes on this financial responsibility when this person retires. Again a financial decisions that most today cannot afford. Clyde - I realize that new teams WIN every year. However, there are not many districts that support football the way it needs to be to become a TRADITIONAL winning program. Again many districts just have a program to say they have one. From the Top of 6A to the bottom of 6A there is a tremendous difference. The reason I used 2A is that it is the only one from top to bottom that you have teams that have competed or have been competitive at some point in Time. However, most of them because of this have to play up outside their districts just to fill schedules. Some travel up to 4 hours just fill schedules. This is a KHSAA organizations responsibility to fix this. I know of places that there 5 schools within a twenty minute drive that will not play schools because they do not want to lose to them, and they are all bigger.

It has become more evident than ever that they programs that want to WIN still hire the best coaches. Example: Chuck Smith goes back to Boyle County. This was a business decision for them. (WHY)? To purchase his sick time would cost them around $75,000 + his salary. They want to WIN!!, New classifications need to be thrown out (Principals,Supt, AD, Coaches,KHSAA need to meet and decide the schools that are going to play football and those that just want to have a program. There has been dodge ball played for years when one team is good the neighboring schools 10 minutes away says we are not going to play. It would be very easy to have two 10 game schedules in a class like 2A, many quality programs with the alignment that exist. I do not know of any other class from top to bottom that have 20 teams that you would consider as contenders. Right now we are just filling up schedules, with vary little parity. If I do not like you, but my gate was 20,000 I just won't play you because you make us look bad. This has to stop. This is not to slight anyone, this is just what I have seen for the last 20+ years.