Joe Campbell out as Loudon football coach
Joe Campbell won’t be back this fall as Loudon High School’s football coach.
Campbell said he was told Monday by Loudon athletic director Ronnie Roberts and Principal Cheri Parrish his coaching contract would not be renewed for the 2017 season.
“They just said, ‘We’re going to go in a different direction at this time,’ ” Campbell said Wednesday afternoon.
Campbell was 3-18 overall and 0-10 in Region 2-3A in two seasons as Loudon’s coach.
Last season, the Redskins were 1-9, 0-5 in the region. They were 2-9 in 2015, 0-5 in the region, and lost to Sequoyah in a bowl game at Grace Christian Academy
“Well, the disappointing thing is that the principals and the AD there (at Loudon) were pretty high on my side and I feel they didn’t want to let me go,” Campbell said. “I feel like the (Loudon Schools) superintendent (Dr. Jason Vance) and a school board member forced their hands.”
Roberts did not return a phone call to the News Sentinel on Wednesday.
Campbell was head coach for four years at his alma mater, Midway High School, prior to taking over at Loudon in 2015 when Jeff Harig left for the head coaching job at West High School. Harig resigned as West’s coach on Dec. 9.
At Midway, Campbell took over a program that went 0-10 in 2010 and 2-8 in 2009.
Campbell’s first team at Midway finished 3-7, and his next three teams advanced to the Class A state playoffs. The Green Wave was 9-3 in 2013 and reached the state quarterfinals, and in 2014 was 5-7 and advanced to the second round.
Campbell said he will continue teaching Geometry at Loudon through the end of the school year.
“Unless something better comes along between now and May, then yeah, I’ll be there till May,” he said.
Campbell isn’t sure what his next career move will be.
“Man, I’ve been asking myself that for two days now,” he said.
Campbell has plans for his immediate future.
“I’m trying to look on the bright side,” he said. “I’ve got some time to fish this spring now.”
Dave Link is a freelance contributor.