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.