82Wildcat68

Anybody know why Greene put them brakes on hiring Gaddis and went with SS instead? I know the circumstances behind Joe's leaving, but I don't recall a big movement against him being rehired. The way I see it, you have two groups this time around, one that doesn't much care who gets the job and one who want's Joe to get it. The latter may include some larger donors. Why piss off the one group if there isn't a vocal one coming out against Gaddis. I have heard a lot of support on here and Facebook for Joe, but really against it.

Reliable people say Joe Gaddis is interested, but due to getting jerked around and it not working out on the hire a few years ago, they're going to have to ask him. If you think he is the right person for the job, write Smallridge, Goins, and Mullins. If enough voices make noise, maybe they will listen, but people have to make themselves heard. I doubt they will be logging on here for advice.

I would think the money would be better spent on renovating/replacing the stands, pressbox, and dressing rooms. The field is still one of the best in the area. Just because Maryville has turf doesn't mean that's the best thing to do.

The rumor is that Mullins wants Ron Grey. I would suspect Younger and Gaddis have talked, they coached together for over 20 years. Younger is the kind of man that will not ask for the job if he knows Gaddis is interested. I think Younger offers the best experience and continuity to continue the progress we have seen the last 4 years. Write, email, or call the appropriate people and make your feelings known.

From what I have heard, Younger would take the job if asked. I believe Oak Ridge is on a path to win a state championship in the next couple years, especially now that we are 5A. Younger would be an excellent person to continue on that path. He believes in disiplined, fundamental football, he knows Oak Ridge tradition, and is a Wildcat at heart, and his players would do anything for him.

One coach who has not been mentioned publicly, but who I think would be excellent is Jim Younger. He coached with Gaddis for 20 years. He knows football. He gets good results from his players year after year. He knows the Oak Ridge tradition, and he loves the Wildcats.

I don't know Mike Mullins personally. From what little I do know, it does seem he likes to have control over the athletic program. He is the AD, so that does seem to be his right. Blade was a strong personality himself. I always felt he was in full control over every decision that was made about the football team. I am close to the program, and have been for the last two years, and I have seen no evdeince Mulliins interfered with Blades decisions. I know athletics does not hold the same place in the school it once did, but possibly that is a sign of the times where the focus is unrelenting on academic test scores. I'm not sure you can lay all that at the administrations feet. As for getting a charismatic coach who can get the community behind the program, I agree totally. However, those kind of coaches are rare. We would all like a Gary Rankin or George Quarles, but you have to hire from the pool of people that want the job. Mulliins made a good hire in Blade, give him a chance to do it again. Airing dirty laundry and bashing the administration publicly on here only makes outsiders that might be interested in the job second guess what they would be getting into. Advocating a particular person is fine, but bashing everybody else is counter productive.

That's absolutely true. Goin's says "we are an academic high school". Can't even afford 30 minutes out of the schedule for an in-school pep rally.

Ding Ding Ding Ding.....we have a winner. IMO, Oak Ridge Football's decline is due to (1) a more transient community, and (2) the rise or soccer. Back in the 70's and 80's when OR football was in it's prime, there was a football team for each elementary school, and nobody played soccer. As the popularity of soccer grew, the number or little league football teams dwindled until there are just two now. The movement of 9th grade to the high school didn't help any, in my opinion. The quality of middle school football declined after that. Oak Ridge's feeder system is pathetic compared to Maryville's. Then, the make up of the community as a whole has changed since the 80's. Back when all three government plants were operating, the people that worked at the plants lived in Oak Ridge, many of them grew up here, their kids went to school here. When K-25 shutdown in the mid 80's, a lot of people came in and out doing clean-up work at the DOE sites. The percentage of the population that was from Oak Ridge and would stay in Oak Ridge for the long-term was reduced significantly. The new people have no idea what the Wildcat Tradition means.