Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, February 9, 1993 TAG: 9302090312
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: TAZEWELL LENGTH: Medium
VAUGHT SUSPENDED AS FOOTBALL COACH
Despite impassioned support from citizens at a hearing of the Tazewell County School Board on Monday night, the board voted 4-1 to suspend Dennis Vaught as Richlands High School's football coach.Vaught admitted that his team had worn illegal cleats in its 17-7 1992 state Group AA Division 4 semifinal victory over Salem.
After almost 3 1/2 hours of closed-door deliberations at Tazewell High School, the board announced what Chairman Phillip Hearl described as an "agonizing" decision.
"We need for the healing to begin," Hearl said before the board moved to suspend Vaught as coach. Vaught was allowed to remain a teacher at Richlands High.
After a moment of stunned silence, somebody in the crowd of about 500, which had stayed until almost midnight to hear the verdict, yelled out, "What a crock!"
Another: "We'll remember this at election time." Still another: "You call this healing?"
Hearl and other board members retreated to the parking lot through the heckling audience. As Hearl hastily explained the decision to a pursuer, somebody said to him, "Let's hurry up. I'll follow you home."
On the way, he said that Vaught would be out for at least the 1993 season, but that he conceivably could return.
Speaker after speaker defended Vaught.
"It takes a strong man to own up to his mistakes," said Terry Monk, who quarterbacked the Blue Tornado to a 14-0 record and its first state title. "[Firing Vaught] would not accomplish anything and it would destroy a lot."
"We've been called racists, bigots, rednecks . . . that our coach is morally corrupt and that our principal [Brenda Lawson] is a liar," said one citizen, Scottie Lawson. ". . . Some type of penalty must be paid [by Vaught]. . . . But we broke something, now let us come back and fix it and let this man help us."
The testimonials went on. Sanders Henderson, an assistant coach, told of Vaught's sending him home early time after time from practice to go to his sick child.
"That the kind of man he is," said Henderson, his voice cracking and his eyes glistening.
"We don't condone the coverup or anything else," Barbara Plaster said. "He made a mistake. We are here to support the man, who is a human being."
A petition that one speaker said had been signed by 1,369 voters was presented. There were at least 10 standing ovations as speakers praised Vaught for what he had done for the team and the town.
During the long recess, Tom Bowman, a parent of a player, said the crowd wasn't there just because Vaught was a great coach. "This isn't about winning football games," he said. "This is about a good member of our community."
Another man, Coy Richardson, said the whole community had taken Vaught's troubles personally.
"When you take on the Vaught family, you're taking on the whole community of Richlands," he said.
In addition, the board fired Gary Lane as Richlands athletic director and reassigned him to another job in the system.
The bitterness about the events that started with Salem's accusations to the Virginia High School League was very apparent. Many people agreed that it was wrong that Richlands wore the cleats. But the attitude was, as a practical matter, it was of no consequence.
Said sophomore Brian Mitchell, a member of the team: "We would have beat Salem in flip-flops."