ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, October 18, 1996 TAG: 9610180040
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
TIMESLAND AREA coaches and administrators believe Franklin County football coach Horace Green was fired for reasons other than his won-loss record.
When North Cross football coach Jim Muscaro was told Franklin County coach Horace Green had been fired, he said, ``He's retired.''
Told again that Green had been fired, Muscaro repeated, ``He's retired. We [coaches] don't like to think of being fired.''
That's especially true in the middle of the season if a firing is done based mostly on won-loss record. High schools have, for the most part, changed coaches after the season unless there is a problem other than winning or losing.
When Franklin County announced earlier this week that Green had been replaced with three games left in the season, athletic director Jerry Little assured everyone that Green had done nothing morally wrong.
School principal Benny Gibson declined to give specific reasons for the firing. He said the decision on Green was ``somewhere in between'' him resigning and being fired.
Green left no doubt, saying he was fired and that he would never quit in the middle of the season. He was told his leaving would be for the better of the program.
Reaction from Timesland coaches and principals was one of disbelief. Many believe there is more to the story.
``I don't know the circumstances, so I could not begin to make any observations about their situation,'' said former Staunton River principal Bob Ashwell, who is now at Altavista.
``Under the wildest, conceivable scenario, it is possible to imagine someone could quit doing even the bare minimum in order to prepare his or her team for the following contest. If that were the case, it is conceivable that a coach would need to be relieved. But only under the most bizarre circumstance.''
Salem coach Willis White, who was fired as a young coach in the 1960s by Fort Chiswell, said it had to be more than the record.
``I thought either he's done something really bad that's a personnel matter that they can't talk about it or someone has their values out of line,'' said White.
White said if the move was based on record, it was wrong. ``Another three games wouldn't make a difference. My assistant coaches were fired up. They said that's not right. If he's been good enough for almost five years, he's good enough for three more games.
``I wouldn't fire a coach [in the middle of the season on record],'' White said. ``It should be done after the season in a private manner. Coaches like to leave with their pride.
``This is a terrible blow to a person's self-esteem. It's pretty hard to justify when we have seminars on how to raise self-esteem. There are so many kids without parents and we want teachers to raise the kids' self-esteem.''
Pulaski County coach Joel Hicks, whose team beat Franklin County 49-14 just before the coaching move, said, ``I thought their kids played hard until we got ahead 21-7. In coaching against them and watching on tape, I saw nothing that looked like a bad coaching job. In general, I would think you'd wait until the year is over and evaluate a person then.''
``There were small mistakes similar to ours keeping them from winning,'' said William Fleming coach George Miller, whose team, like Franklin County's, has won only two games. ``Their scores might not have indicated it, but they did a lot of good things.
``Perhaps there is something more than winning and losing involved,'' added Miller, who is also an assistant principal. ``If my administration didn't appreciate the other things I did [as a coach] for the youngsters other than winning and losing, I'd bow out gracefully. When you deal with teenagers, there are so many other things to deal with besides winning and losing.
``The carry over from athletics has value in all phases of life. Some of the things you learn from athletics is far more than winning or losing.''
Radford principal Buddy Martin, who likely won't have to make the same decision with Hall of Fame inductee Norm Lineburg heading his football program, makes it clear he doesn't know the circumstances at Franklin County.
``But,'' he adds, ``firing someone in the middle of the season would be the last choice of all concerned. I'd rather avoid it and let them complete the season.
``The pressure to win [on a high school level] is much tougher. It hasn't quite gotten to winning is everything, but the pressure to succeed - whether from the kids, parents, school or self-pressure - is a lot more than it has ever been before.''
LENGTH: Medium: 84 linesby CNB