Ron Gladnick and St. Augustine HS (CA) parted recently in a surprising move.
The veteran head coach led the program to the D1-A San Diego Section Division 1 championship just a few weeks ago which led to them playing in a regional bowl game, where they were unable to overcome a handful of injuries, ultimately losing a heartbreaker 21-20.
Less than a week later after that loss, the school announced the controversial decision, that despite the quick turnaround of the program, they were seeking a new direction.
Gladnick, a successful businessman, took over the program in February of 2022 and led the team to a 4-8 record in year one before a breakout 10-5 campaign in year two. He had previous head coaching stops at Torrey Pines (CA).
In those two seasons, Gladnick openly shares that he sacrificed the salary the school was giving him to help attract a number of talented underclassmen that contributed right away, scoring 40 of the team's 57 touchdowns on the year.
The last several days have been spent by Gladnick on a media blitz where he has held nothing back, being very transparent in sharing that he was paid an $11k stipend to coach and over $100k to teach fifth hour PE class by the private school.
While appearing on the Prep Pigskin Report podcast, Gladnick was asked by host Paul Rudy about an overview of the issues, to which Gladnick answered, "I think we brought too much cultural change to a campus that wasn't ready to handle it."
He would go on to share that he and the principal butted heads over a number of issues, including a St. Augustine policy that seemed to apply to students, but not teachers.
"The best thing you can say about it, is that it is culturally insensitive and the worst thing you can say about it is it's downright racist," Gladnick shared regarding the policy. "It is not only antiquated to current societal rules, but it's also wrapped in hypocrisy."
Following Gladnick's dismissal last week, St. Augustine principal James Horne released a statement read, in part: "Ron knows how to win football games and did a tremendous job turning around our football program in a short time. Ron's success as a private businessman has meant a limited role in our educational community and we are looking for something different."
Gladnick was not shy about sharing how the difference in leadership styles between him and Horne contributed to their fractured relationship.
"Strong leaders hire people who make them uncomfortable. I hired a whole coaching staff who, at times make me uncomfortable, because I want to be challenged about everything. That's what great leaders do. When a person doesn't want to be challenged, it says more about them."
Hear more from Gladnick's podcast appearance and the situation at St. Augustine in the clip.