Fairland Non-Renews Coach Wilcoxon

robycop3 · Post by **robycop3** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 11:18 am

Just face it...FHS had a few talented players during Coach W's first years, but not a lotta overall team talent. The last coupla years, the team overall was more talented, and it rose up to deliver some left hoox to opponents it wasn't supposeta be able to beat. it takes TIME for a prog to be built, and the successful Fairland youth league was beginning to develop players according to W's system, and I looked for the 2008 season to be a great one for the dragons. Hey, they hammered my Peakers 2 years straight, and prolly woulda done the same this year, but now I don't know.

I do know Coach W had lotsa respect among the Peake Nation, both for his coaching exploits at South Point & his development of the Fairland team, especially for the last 2 seasons. We at Peake wish him well wherever he goes, and hope the Fairland area voters "get smart" and non-renew the terms of a coupla school board members. (We underwent a "house cleaning" at Peake last election.)

osu 77 · Post by **osu 77** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 11:42 am

Misteroby wrote:Just face it...FHS had a few talented players during Coach W's first years, but not a lotta overall team talent. The last coupla years, the team overall was more talented, and it rose up to deliver some left hoox to opponents it wasn't supposeta be able to beat. it takes TIME for a prog to be built, and the successful Fairland youth league was beginning to develop players according to W's system, and I looked for the 2008 season to be a great one for the dragons. Hey, they hammered my Peakers 2 years straight, and prolly woulda done the same this year, but now I don't know.

I do know Coach W had lotsa respect among the Peake Nation, both for his coaching exploits at South Point & his development of the Fairland team, especially for the last 2 seasons. We at Peake wish him well wherever he goes, and hope the Fairland area voters "get smart" and non-renew the terms of a coupla school board members. (We underwent a "house cleaning" at Peake last election.)

Good information.

I have seen this from other schools the last three years and all that came out of it was bad feelings. For example in Ironton there were so many bad feelings about the hiring process that it made fans turn against their own Ironton Alumni. These were employees that were born, raised and played ball for Ironton. I hope the same thing does not happen to Fairland.

catch22 · Post by **catch22** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 2:53 pm

the bottom line, in my opinion, is the school board at fhs has just made the most idiotic decision in school history. They are letting a man go that has the best intentions for the program. again, people around here knows they have someone else already in mind. now everything this man and the other coaches have worked so hard for in building a program is shot!! the man had more kids in the weight room than the school has had in it's existence. more and more kids wanting to play football for fairland than they have in years. I just don't get it. what are they thinking. absolutely amazing to me!!!!!!!!!! whoever ends up with this job, I wish them all the luck in the world with this board. of course if you are related to members on the board you wont have to worry about it!!!!!!!!!!!!! HMMMMMMMMM!!

MTSWNGRVSG · Post by **MTSWNGRVSG** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 7:16 pm

What was the recomendation of the Superintendent? This could make a major difference on this issue.

bgmonster · Post by **bgmonster** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 7:56 am

The recommendation of the superintendent was to renew Wilcoxen's contract.

bengalfan76 · Post by **bengalfan76** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 12:44 pm

Sad
Recomendation of Supt and 3-2 vote for non-renewal :shock:

sportsnut mom · Post by **sportsnut mom** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 1:07 pm

Why is it that someone who only attended one game is so interested in who coaches unless he's trying to help out a family member or close friend? If he was so interested why didn't he attend more games or drop by practices?
The way he talked to the players after the meeting showed his true colors, not the ones he displayed while trying to get voted in. Sad, very sad.

getagrip · Post by **getagrip** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 5:11 pm

Does anyone know how each board member voted? If you do, please post.

I have mixed feelings about this decision. A couple years ago, I would have understood this decision. At times, I thought Wilcoxon was stubborn in his play-calling by insisting on passing no matter what the circumstances of the games or talent on his team (think Coal Grove from a few years ago, when Fairland had a big lead in the fourth quarter but kept passing anyway. The strategy stopped the clock, took unneccesary chances on turnovers, and Coal Grove won the game. I still think the coaching staff gave that game away).

However, I think coach Wilcoxon has grown. Last year, he adapted. Fairland still had a passing offense, but Fairland also ran the ball a good bit. It was an offense that tried to utilize all the strenghts of his team. I'm still not sold on the offense, but that probably has more to do with me being a little old-fashioned. I'm admittedly old-school. Still, from what I can tell, his players did a good job last year of executing his improved system.

In this case, I'm concerned by the motives of the school board. I'm not impressed when the board refuses to require students to at least have a 2.0 GPA to participate in sports. David Judd is the only board member who supports this requirement, and Fairland has board members who actually campaigned in support of lower standards. What's more important to the board - the well-being of the kids, or just making sure they're on the field to win no matter how much they're failing off the field?

And there was also the post-game incident in 2006 involving a drunk school board member unhappy with a loss. Real classy.

I also don't understand why the board waited so long to make this decision. Maybe the timing is typical, but if you're this unhappy with a coach's performance, it should be addressed earlier. I hope the board considered more than wins and losses. It should take into account the character he's helping develop in the kids. It's admirable that his players are standing up for him.

That being said, the coaching staff seems to tolerate things that should be unacceptable. I've seen several players throw their helmets down when things go wrong. My coach never tolerated such immature behavior. He would have yanked us out immediately, and made us understand that we can't act like that in life. I'm constantly amazed at the what the players get away with. All high school kids will do dumb things, but I have higher standards for the adults coaching them.

I also don't think he runs them hard enough in practice. Players don't seem to be in game shape until the end of the year. Early on, players are constantly cramping up and out of breath.

One more thing. Someone mentioned, or implied, that Wilcoxon should be doing better based on the success of the Fairland youth football league teams. I think the Fairland youth football league has actuall hurt coach Wilcoxon and the high school program. Not the existence of the league, but how it's run. The kids practice about evey night beginning at age 6. They're burned out by the time they're in high school. Sure, the top players stick with it, but the average players aren't as interested and quit playing. In high school football, you need the players of average talent who have a love for the game and give everything they have. That's one of the things that make high school football fun. Through no fault of his own, coach Wilcoxon doesn't have enough of these types of players.

bucking red · Post by **bucking red** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 5:42 pm

Getagrip coach and his staff addressed the bad behavior this year. Their was many times this year players did things on the field that they should not have done and were taken out of the game. The team this year was in alot better shape coach Crews workout was something! IN favor of Wilcoxen was Judd and Sowards against was Brummfield, Leep and Lewis. When asked why they were considering a change discipline problems were given. Now thats funny because I see kids getting T's in basketball and kids throwing helmets in baseball does that mean those coaches should worry? Coach has become a better coach and he will continue to get better. I hope there is something we can do to get the board to reconsider. I can tell you this for sure the boys are very upset and some could transfer that would be a shame.

MTSWNGRVSG · Post by **MTSWNGRVSG** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 8:55 pm

With the Superintendent's recomedation to rehire and only a 3-2 vote to non-renew, Coach Wilcoxen could still be the legal coach. Takes 4-1 vote to over turn superintendent recomendation.

sportsnut mom · Post by **sportsnut mom** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 9:18 pm

Only in "Fair-land"...

the pooper · Post by **the pooper** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 7:40 pm

i dont know what hidden agenda you think the board is hiding. The way the FORMER board screwed coach ward over after taking a team to the playoffs, i highly doubt he is a head coach there again. Thats the same team that went 2-8 the next year after ward quit with everyone coming back. The former coach has to want to coach for there to be a hidden agenda folks and he simply dont want to coach. With that being said, who will be the next fairland coach?

bucking red · Post by **bucking red** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 7:50 pm

Pooper I don't think everyone was back from that team. Plus if my memory serves me right didn't Wilcoxen get the job late that first year. IMO not enough time to go through the Offensive changes that took place.

getagrip · Post by **getagrip** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 8:47 pm

the pooper wrote:iWith that being said, who will be the next fairland coach?

The names I hear on the rumor mill are coach Carroll or John McClung. I have no idea if the rumors have any validity. Don't know much about McClung, other than he now coaches the middle school, but Caroll had great success when he coached the middle school team. Good guy.

sportsnut mom · Post by **sportsnut mom** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 10:05 pm

Both of these coaches coached together about 8 years ago at FHS.

the pooper · Post by **the pooper** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 11:29 pm

bucking red, im sorry, but almost everyone except the fullback(stewart)was back from that playoff team. lots of talent was on that team. i will say coach wilcoxin has a great offensive mind. defense was the problem for fhs.

the pooper · Post by **the pooper** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 11:30 pm

bucking red, im sorry, but almost everyone except the fullback(stewart)was back from that playoff team. lots of talent was on that team. i will say coach wilcoxin has a great offensive mind. defense was the problem for fhs.

OH IO 07 · Post by **OH IO 07** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 12:23 pm

Actually, that Fairland team also lost 4 of the 5 starting offensive linemen and Chance Adkins along with Stewart in the backfield. Not to mention that almost all of these players also started/played defense. So the 2004 team didn't return almost everybody from the playoff year.

OVCfan32 · Post by **OVCfan32** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 12:58 pm

thats correct. . .
the big name guys mostly came back. . but that 04' team was one of the easiest pushovers i've seen. . .
and they played pretty good in 03'. . .that wasn't a bad team. .
they shoulda been able to go 5-5 or 6-4 in 04

lets face it. . .fairland hasn't had what any self respecting high school would call a good team in years. . .. so be it that they have a new coach during that time is just bad luck for him. .

the pooper · Post by **the pooper** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 4:13 pm

OH I0 97 once again, those statements are completely false. fairland returned almost the entire team. im just stating facts and not trying to stir the pot with you.