VikingAlum

Alright, that's fine. I am a "one-poster" because I get on here occasionally to see what's going on and knew there would be some discussion on this. When I saw the complete BS being posted, I thought I'd just try to tell what I knew as a fan. I am certainly not Junior Reid to whoever suggested that. And I don't have anything against Bland. I'm just a fan and an alumni who has actually watched every Humboldt game over the last several years, unlike most of you posting here. I brought up his middle school stint because that's what he's doing now. He has been an assistant at the high school before and, quite frankly, has probably been passed over for the head coaching position in the past for reasons other than ability. So, go ahead and chuckle about that and speculate on how Bland got screwed. You read one statement in the news and think that's the whole story.

It's disturbing that's the first thought, that the only reason this all happened is bowing to pressure from "a segment of the community."

Look, nobody can deny that Coach Bland is a great person and a pretty good coach. He's great with the kids and always has pretty good teams. I think there is a lot of speculation here that is probably not based in any fact. This was not his "tenure year" and it's certainly not "good ol boy system" or politics working here. I'm sure this is a tough decision, and it's made even more difficult due to his reputation as a great person and stellar player. But look over his career, and I don't think you find any state championships or even very many deep runs in the playoffs. Maybe that's the reason and maybe not. Nobody knows what goes on in the school every day. As to the comment from the Milan supporter, Milan fired him after two seasons in which he has winning records and made the playoffs. I'm just saying that there are lots of factors to consider and I don't think anyone here knows why he was let go. Naturally the Jackson Sun got the new coach's name wrong, but it's Dorrington "Junior" Reid. Coach Reid graduated from Humboldt in 1977 I think and went on to play for the UT Vols. He's a local legend in our program and has taught and coached the middle school team for years. He has outstanding teams at the middle school level every year and usually has no more than one or two losses in a season. His team won the new Gibson County conference title this year beating Medina Middle in the championship game. He is well respected in the community and a good person, just like Coach Bland. He will also be the first black head coach Humboldt has had, so no, I don't think it's the "good ol boys" calling the shots. I hate it for Coach Bland as much as anyone, but I also know there are lots of people in those stands every week that are not content to lose in the first or second round of the playoffs. Let's just stop jumping to conclusions about the motive of the administration and see what comes of all this.