HEAD COACH POSSIBILITIES

Here we are a little more than two weeks after the shocking resignation of Gaffney Head Coach Phil Strickland. There are numerous names floating around about who will be the new commander-in-chief of the most storied high school football program in the state of South Carolina. The hiring of the Head Football Coach in Gaffney is a very big deal. To most people, in Gaffney, it probably means more who the Head Football Coach is rather than who the Mayor is. There will be a lot of interest in the Indians Head Coaching position, as they have already received as many as a dozen or so resumes and the job has just officially been posted as open by the School District. I would like to look at some names that I think the search committee should look at and at least contact to see how much interest there might be by both parties.

1) Doc Davis..... the longtime Head Coach at Spartanburg High School where he won five State Championships in 18 years. He has been the Head Coach at the new Ashley Ridge High School near Summerville the past two seasons. Davis recently announced his retirement a couple of months back, but has said that the Gaffney job is one of the very few that he might come out of retirement for. He would never say it, but you know he would like to have the opportunity to beat Spartanburg, after they gave him the shaft three years ago that led to his resignation. I say talk to him and see if there is a fit for him in Gaffney.

2) Chris Miller or Bobby Bentley at Byrnes..... you ask why would they want to leave Byrnes where they have had the most successful run for the past decade than any High School Football team in South Carolina history? The answer is, to many Head Coaches at the same school. Chris Miller is technically the Head Coach, but he has Bobby Bentley the coach that built the Byrnes program into what it is today looking over his shoulder. At some point this will cause problems. How long does Miller want to stay at Byrnes with Bentley looking over his shoulder? How long will Bentley's ego allow him to not be the man fully in charge of the Rebels football program? I say talk to both, to see if either one has any interest in coming to Gaffney.

3) Doug Shaw at Mauldin..... would be a very good coach to talk to as well. He is the son of former longtime Head Coach at Myrtle Beach High School Doug Shaw Sr. He has won everywhere he has been including winning 9 games at Mauldin High School last season. Mauldin is a very hard place to win, as it is in Greenville County and they have virtually no football tradition. What could Doug Shaw do at a school with the tradition that Gaffney High School has? I think pretty good. I say contact him and see if there might be a fit.

4) Steve Tanneyhill at Chesterfield..... would be a very interesting coach to consider. He has done a spectacular job at resurrecting the football program at 1A Chesterfield High School. He has had the Rams in the State Championship Game the last four seasons, winning the last three. He is a very good football coach and I really think he would be a good fit for Gaffney. The problem with Steve Tanneyhill is, he does not have a teaching certificate. I say it would be worth the Gaffney search committee's time to talk to him and see if something could be worked out.

5) Allen Sitterle at Lexington..... would be another interesting coach to consider. He was the coach that Gaffney fans loved to hate when he was at Spartanburg High School back in the 80's. He was also at Daniel High School for several seasons and won State Championships while there. He has won everywhere he has been and he is doing a very good job turning around the Lexington program. I say talk to him and see if there is a fit.

6) Dan Jones the current Interim Head Coach at Gaffney..... would be the best choice if they decide to promote from within. He is a Gaffney native and has done a very good job as Defensive Coordinator at Gaffney under Phil Strickland. He has been a very big part of Gaffney's success of winning State Championships the last several seasons. He is well liked by the team and is very knowledgeable on the offensive and defensive schemes that Gaffney wants to run. The time of the Strickland resignation also makes him a very good candidate, because bringing in someone from outside could pose problems with changing of coaching philosophies with the start of preseason practice just a little over two months away. I say talk to him and see if he might be the man for the job.

This Gaffney coaching search is going to be very interesting to follow and Tribe Blitz will be there to follow it with you.

Until Next Time.

FRUSTRATED PHIL STRICKLAND WALKS AWAY

"I'm tired of beating my head against the wall." This is what Former Gaffney High Head Coach Phil Strickland said on Tuesday following his resignation from his job as Athletic Director and Head Coach of the Gaffney High School Indians. Coach Strickland also said, "This job here in Gaffney should be the best high school job in South Carolina, and in some ways, it is. I love the people here, the kids, the fans, but things could be a lot, lot better in other areas." Coach Strickland would not throw stones or talk specifics when he said these things, because he is to classy for that, but we all know what a lot of the problems are, Don't we? As it has been well documented that Strickland and certain members of the Cherokee County School Board have not seen eye-to-eye the past few years, especially since the construction of the new Reservation football stadium. The truth is that, Coach Phil Strickland has been on the School Boards "Hit List" ever since the controversy over the new GHS stadium a few years ago. Some of the School Board members did not like it when Coach Strickland and his wife Debbie, stood up at a public school board meeting and spoke against the board's excuses and repeated delays that eventually resulted in a lesser stadium that wound up costing more money. It is obvious who screwed up that decision, ISN'T IT? The School Board members can probably still hear the loud chorus of "BOO'S" that they received from the Gaffney fans following the State Championship game in Columbia when they were introduced. There has also been at least two of the School Board members conducting a campaign against Phil Strickland for not re-designating the reserved seating assignments at the new stadium, reportedly because a handful of their friends wanted "better" seats. As for Phil Strickland, there has been numerous bumps along his path over the past few years. For the most part, he has kept his mouth shut and negotiated his way around them. On Tuesday, however, he had had enough. Phil Strickland had intended to stay in Gaffney, as he had already signed his contract for next year. Phil Strickland is a very good football coach, a good person and a class act that cares about his players, coaches and the fans of Gaffney High School. PHIL STRICKLAND DID NOT DESERVE TO BE TREATED THIS WAY! That is more than we can say about the majority of the Cherokee County School Board. The board cares only about themselves and the politics, not the kids and their teachers. If anyone should be leaving it should be the School Board not a great man and coach like Phil Strickland. As parents and fans of Gaffney High School, lets do something about this School Board. Lets go to the polls and vote these people out of office!!!

Until Next Time.