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                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 3, 1993                   TAG: 9303030392
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

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COACH'S SUSPENSION WAS UNNECESSARY

I AM QUALIFIED to observe and discuss the sport of football, having played at Richlands for three years in the early 1940s. I continued to play at Greenbrier Military School, then attended the University of Tennessee and Georgia Tech on football scholarships. At all schools, I was fortunate to be coached by outstanding men who earned coach-of-the-year honors.

The facts are:

Richlands made a mistake in the use of five-eighths inch cleats, as opposed to one-half inch cleats as sanctioned by the Virginia High School League.

Salem Coach Willis White was outcoached and his football team was dominated by a good Richlands team.

Brannon Breeding, who was shifted to tailback in a power "I" offense (developed for the Salem game by Coach Vaught), ran the ball off-tackle 46 times with the help of a good offensive line to completely dominate the game. This is a VHSL record.

For Coach White to blame the cleat advantage as a reason for defeat is a poor excuse for being out-coached and outplayed. The win went to the team with the most desire and determination to win. The fact remains that the VHSL executive committee refused to reverse the win in Salem's favor.

Did the Tazewell County School Board make the proper decision in suspending Coach Vaught for a year? This remains a most controversial decision.

My personal opinion is that the sanction by the VHSL was sufficient and that the one-year suspension serves no purpose other than to create more controversy. A mistake was made and judgment was poor. However, Coach Vaught is not alone in making mistakes or using poor judgment. Two wrongs do not make a right, and the suspension breeds contempt. JAMES R. LINDSEY RICHLANDS

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