THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, October 25, 1996 TAG: 9610240172
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 14 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: SPORTS EDITOR'S COLUMN
SOURCE: Lee Tolliver
LENGTH: 56 lines
The boo birds are chirping again.
Lately, local sports talk radio shows have been getting lots of calls about the Kellam football team - namely coach Chris Worst.
Everybody knows about Worst's woes. In his first two years, his teams went 0-20. He opened the third year with a victory over Norview and then lost the next nine games. Entering this year with a 1-29 record, the Knights again opened with a win. And again, they have dropped six straight games.
Yes, Chris Worst is 2-35 as a head coach.
Yes, victories are what most people talk about.
But those who have been asking for his head on a stick have no clue about all the elements that have gone into the demise of a football program that was once one of the best in the area.
The losing records didn't start when Worst took over. They started the last two years Harper Donahoe was coach in the mid-1980s and continued.
A big reason has been the opening of three new schools - Salem, Tallwood and Ocean Lakes - all causing rezoning that hurt the size of Kellam's student body. In 1976, Kellam had more students than any other school in the state. Now, with an enrollment of 1,625, it is right in the middle of Group AAA schools.
But things are looking up. There is considerable building going on in the Kellam district and players are moving into the area.
And whether some of these parents want to admit it or not, Kellam this season is playing the best football it has in years.
Give Worst a break. No coach could have walked into his situation and produced a winner. Miami Dolphins coach Jimmy Johnson would have done no better.
And to you boo birds who have been calling the radio stations, could YOU do better? I dare say not.
Worst and his assistants have done a great job with this team. The kids do well in school and their hearts and minds are in the right place. They give 110 percent, even when getting beat, and that says something about the lessons they are learning - lessons that will help make them better people later in life.
Not like the losers who harass Worst and his family.
``(Principal) Bruce Biehl and I have talked and Chris has our full vote of confidence,'' student athletic coordinator Roy Ammons called to say Wednesday. ``He's done a good job and the team is getting better and stronger. Chris is as solid a coach as it gets. He runs a clean and disciplined program and has only had one kid in 3 1/2 years quit because he couldn't stand the losing.
``Most of these people who have caused problems in the past and the ones that are calling the radio are selfish parents who's kids aren't playing as much as they think they should.''
And if these parents have a problem, they should meet with Biehl, Ammons and Worst and talk about it.
Don't be spineless and air your dirty laundry on some talk show.
Especially when you don't know what you're talking about. by CNB