Five days before practice was set to begin at Rockford Jefferson HS (IL), head coach Ken DuBose was forced to resign, he told the Rockford Register Star. The reasoning DuBose shared for his forced resignation will really upset a number of coaches and parents.
Two years ago, DuBose took over a team that had lost 27 straight games, and in year two he turned the program around going 4-5, which tied the mark for most wins at the school in over two decades.
While there are always (at least) two sides to every story, DuBose said that he was forced to step down from his post based on philosophical, and procedural differences between himself and the newly appointed athletic director, Michael Armato.
Among the things that the two butted heads on was a difference of opinion in promoting the program on social media, and a nickname DuBose was using to help brand and bring pride to the program.
According to the Rockford Register Star:
“He said I shouldn’t post so much about what’s going on with the kids,” DuBose said. “He said, ‘Focus on the day-to-day things. You don’t have to let people know you had a great practice.’ ”
DuBose noted that Armato also didn't care for the nickname "the bird-gang" that DuBose was using for team, whose mascot is the J-Hawks. "He didn't like the connotations behind that," DuBose added.
Also among the complaints from Armato was that DuBose would sometimes give kids a ride to practice to make sure they could make it, adding, "If I didn’t, how would they get to practice? A lot of our kids are poor and don’t have cars.”
Now, granted this is only one side of the story, and the Register Star noted that the school plans to release a statement on the situation at some point today, but how outrageous is that reasoning to ask a head coach for his resignation five days before the start of camp?
Not using social media to promote your program is almost a sin in today's game, and we all know coaches who pick up a few kids here and there to get them to practice, and do it without batting an eye. I've never heard either rubbing an athletic director the wrong way.
Stay tuned for more on the situation as it becomes more clear, and head here to read more.