Vinton County legend wants to come home

[Dundas]

http://www.vcvikings.com/headlines.html

[MeyerSpread]

This sounds like a excellent choice for VC. Curious to why he left the first time and if he plans to stick around or leave again? Does he have roots in Vinton County other than those 6 years? What is bringing him back?

[Bringdanoise]

He left the first time because he thought he could go to a "better" school with the resume he built at VC. He wants to come back because he has not had much success since he left, and the people of VC still thinks he walks on water.

[Dundas]

He left VC to make more money and provide a better life for his family. Just like most people who grow up here do. He won playoff games at Springfield Shawnee and Danville so I would say he has had plenty of success.

[Banned4ever]

Bring Back Irish Jack!

[hateraid]

Not saying he wasn't a good coach, because he was. But face facts....those teams from the early 90's were loaded!! Jack left when the cupboard started to go dry.

[Bringdanoise]

I am not blaming the man at all for leaving, that wasn't my point. My point is, look at his last stop as head coach. I believe he was 24-48 or something of that nature. Now, take away the name and all the VC faithful wouldn't want that guy. Stop living in the past. VC is not the same place it was 15-20 years ago.

[Dandy Don]

I hear this may be happening, what is the latest?

[Vladd]

I know Jack and hope he does come back. He really cares about the kids he coaches and teaches them more than just football. He won't cut and run after one year either. With his experience of coaching Vinton County before, he knows the people in the community and understands them. Justy was a ok coach, but didn't bond well with the community. Let's face it, VC is not a easy place to coach but I think it would be great to have Coach back. He will get the kids believing they can win with putting time into the weight room and being in shape. It will take a lot of hard work with both the coaches and players to turn VC's program around to be respectable again and Jack can do it. He will be in it for the long haul too. Good luck to the VC football program.

[LICKING COUNTY FAN]

I was there at the game against Watkins.
I waked away impressed, not that Vinton County had won but because of the class they showed.
I remember some of the Watkins players asking, who the heck V-County was and a couple of players responded with, something in the neighborhood of, you will know by the time the game was over.

I was rooting hard for V-County and that made this game even more memorable.

[MeyerSpread]

What type of offense and defense does Coach Jack normally run?

[hateraid]

What type of offense and defense does Coach Jack normally run?

I'm not sure what he is doing now but when he coached at VC he ran a no huddle wish bone. By the 3rd Quarter the opposing teams "D" were exhausted.

[hawkeyepierce]

As much as Coach O'Rourke would like to come back, I just don't think he can or will when it is all said and done. What a lot people or even Jack's supporters are missing here or not giving consideration to is that he is a thirty year teacher. If he was to be hired by the school board, this district, as it is with any other new hired with experience, per the union, will only credit the incoming teacher with ten years of experience. Therefore, if Coach O'Rourke were to return it would be a tremendous sacrifice on his part, because his salary, coaching pay, and any other supplemental could not reach what he is being currently paid. It would be a tremendous pay cut to come back to Vinton County, thousands of dollars of sacrifice. However, if he is willing to make that sacrifice, God Bless Him. He is truly a man of his convictions.

[MeyerSpread]

Is he the one who brought the wishbone to VC? It seems like a lot of VC teams ran a variation of the wishbone. If I remember right Coach Queen ran a very complex, misdirection style wishbone where you had to play very disciplined and play your responsibility or got burnt (no one knew who had the ball)... Coach Yates did not use much misdirection and/or did not have good fakes and was very predictable.

[Jim Ryan]

As much as Coach O'Rourke would like to come back, I just don't think he can or will when it is all said and done. What a lot people or even Jack's supporters are missing here or not giving consideration to is that he is a thirty year teacher. If he was to be hired by the school board, this district, as it is with any other new hired with experience, per the union, will only credit the incoming teacher with ten years of experience. Therefore, if Coach O'Rourke were to return it would be a tremendous sacrifice on his part, because his salary, coaching pay, and any other supplemental could not reach what he is being currently paid. It would be a tremendous pay cut to come back to Vinton County, thousands of dollars of sacrifice. However, if he is willing to make that sacrifice, God Bless Him. He is truly a man of his convictions.

Where is he now?

[MeyerSpread]

As much as Coach O'Rourke would like to come back, I just don't think he can or will when it is all said and done. What a lot people or even Jack's supporters are missing here or not giving consideration to is that he is a thirty year teacher. If he was to be hired by the school board, this district, as it is with any other new hired with experience, per the union, will only credit the incoming teacher with ten years of experience. Therefore, if Coach O'Rourke were to return it would be a tremendous sacrifice on his part, because his salary, coaching pay, and any other supplemental could not reach what he is being currently paid. It would be a tremendous pay cut to come back to Vinton County, thousands of dollars of sacrifice. However, if he is willing to make that sacrifice, God Bless Him. He is truly a man of his convictions.

Maybe he has retired?

[hateraid]

Is he the one who brought the wishbone to VC? It seems like a lot of VC teams ran a variation of the wishbone. If I remember right Coach Queen ran a very complex, misdirection style wishbone where you had to play very disciplined and play your responsibility or got burnt (no one knew who had the ball)... Coach Yates did not use much misdirection and/or did not have good fakes and was very predictable.

Under Jack they ran the wishbone. Andy Booth (QB) was one of the best at misdirection I have ever seen at the high school level. At times you had no idea where the ball was.

[hawkeyepierce]

Is he the one who brought the wishbone to VC? It seems like a lot of VC teams ran a variation of the wishbone. If I remember right Coach Queen ran a very complex, misdirection style wishbone where you had to play very disciplined and play your responsibility or got burnt (no one knew who had the ball)... Coach Yates did not use much misdirection and/or did not have good fakes and was very predictable.

Under Jack they ran the wishbone. Andy Booth (QB) was one of the best at misdirection I have ever seen at the high school level. At times you had no idea where the ball was.

Not to take anything away from Andy, he was indeed a very fine quarterback. However, one of Jack's earliest teams had a quarterback that was pretty nifty with his feet and hands. As a sophomore he beat a Meigs team that was fiercely loaded in 1987 by himself. His name was Tom Reed and graduated in 1990. Not Coach Tom Reid's son, Tommy, who graduated the following year, 1991, but there was an older Tom Reed from Union Ridge and that kid handle the football. He wasn't much of a passer, but he sure could hide it and run with it.

[MeyerSpread]

Let's pretend they hire the "legend" and he runs a hurry up wishbone offense in the TVC this year Vinton County could be a force to be reckoned with despite lack of talent because the amount of practice time you need to prepare for a offense like that (without any similar offenses around) it would be very hard to defend. You can't simulate the execution of this offense in practice, especially since you are only allowed a limited amount of hitting time in practice now days... The only thing that may stop this attack is the early whistles when the fullback gets tackled and the half back or quarterback is halfway down the field all alone with the ball...

However, as the years go on it will be less effective as the initial years because the opposing players will have played against it and the coaches will have more time to prepare and adjust to it but they will also get better at running it to it's 6-1 half a dozen the other...

I like it... Why not?

[Poo Bear]

Here is my take on this coach returning home .

He left VC for "greener pastures" .
Now they all want the "hero" to come home . Is it because he is out of options maybe having little success of late .

It's funny that A lot of VC fans will not vote for Warren to return because they left for "greener pastures" but would welcome the old coach with open arms .

Just a different perspective on things .