Oak Ridge's Bruce Lussier should resign

[ohreally]

ELA,

 

Just to set the record straight, there was a movement to oust the coach in Oak Ridge during the off-season. Questions were raised when Oak Ridge failed to make the playoffs in 2001 with a record of 6 wins and 4 losses.

 

A group of people tried to put an ad in the local newspaper that asked some pointed questions about the leadership of the Oak Ridge coaching staff. The newspaper refused to run the ad. Things went downhill from that point. Coaches were threatening fans at basketball games. Slanderous statements were being made back and forth. Mike Blackerby (Sports Editor of The Oak Ridger) and David Clary (Voice of the Wildcats on AM1290) were both accused by Coach Lussier of leading a conspiracy against him. Paranoia ran rampant throughout Oak Ridge. All this crap and more occurred during the off-season.

 

Now, all those Oak Ridge detractors are whispering "I told you so" after the humiliating defeat at the hands of the 3A Anderson County Mavs.

 

Everyone in Oak Ridge who cares about high school football is in frustration mode.

[Edited by ohreally on 8-31-02 6:32P]

 

[TankTalk]

Some may call it frustration mode...I call it something else. Good luck KIDS at Oak Ridge. Keep your heads high and try to steer clear of the "mature" adults who are causing rifts in your program. I hope you all win out.

[mhs]

being a maryville graduate i have seen a thing or two about a traditional football power going through tough times and the coach getting the blame. george quarles was not the most popular person in maryville when we were 0-4 in 2000. two years later he is going for his third straight state title. let the season play out. if you guys are calling for his head all year what kind of chance do you think him or your team have to be successful? support him and the team and let the season play out. depending on how it goes he may resign at the end of the year. if he does now he is deserting his team and no coach wants to do that. this is not college or the pros.

[GWAVE1]

Been there, went through it, and survived it. If football in Oak Ridge means that much to your community as it does in mine then don't let it destroy your program. Face the facts Gaddis is gone and you might have to tough it out before Lussier or whom ever can fix the problem. Apathy can only follow. And trust me apathy in a tradition filled community takes time to fix. And in the mean time there are special football games or years you might miss. Don't miss out! And just for the record I would LOVE and I mean LOVE to catch Oak Ridge in their down years just like ya'll caught us

[ELA]

Posted by ohreally:

ELA,

 

Just to set the record straight, there was a movement to oust the coach in Oak Ridge during the off-season. Questions were raised when Oak Ridge failed to make the playoffs in 2001 with a record of 6 wins and 4 losses.

 

A group of people tried to put an ad in the local newspaper that asked some pointed questions about the leadership of the Oak Ridge coaching staff. The newspaper refused to run the ad. Things went downhill from that point. Coaches were threatening fans at basketball games. Slanderous statements were being made back and forth. Mike Blackerby (Sports Editor of The Oak Ridger) and David Clary (Voice of the Wildcats on AM1290) were both accused by Coach Lussier of leading a conspiracy against him. Paranoia ran rampant throughout Oak Ridge. All this crap and more occurred during the off-season.

 

Now, all those Oak Ridge detractors are whispering "I told you so" after the humiliating defeat at the hands of the 3A Anderson County Mavs.

 

Everyone in Oak Ridge who cares about high school football is in frustration mode.

[Edited by ohreally on 8-31-02 6:32P]

 

MY POINT is that the administration chose (for better or worse) to give the head coach another year, you should allow him to do his job and not start this CRAP during week one! ALL YOU WILL ACCOMPLISH is destroying the Class of 2003's senior year. IF YOU REALLY CARE ABOUT YOUR FOOTBALL PROGRAM, YOU WILL ALLOW THIS SEASON TO PASS, then push harder for what you believe will improve the program. It doesn't matter if your talking about Oak Ridge, or any other football program. ALL ATHLETIC PROGRAMS HAVE ONE THING IN COMMON, you play one season at a time and give it your best shot during that season! After the season is over you guys can go back on the war path if that is what you like doing.

 

Coaches and administrators understand the "NATURE" and culture of coaching high school sports. There are ALWAYS some people whom you can never please. There are always some who are impatient and demand change when things don't go their way. There are always some who voice real concerns and make solid points but do so within the proper context and at the right time. Others just like to complain to hear themselves talking. The point is... I doubt anyone in OAK RIDGE is listening to you right now. You may think your doing the right thing for the program (and you may be right, I don't know) but all you will accomplish at this point is to spread seeds of discontent amoung the players and make this more about the coaching staff than the team. For Godsake, let the team play out their season, win or lose, good or bad. Then do whatever you want. I don't care if the man is the worst coach in the world, at least let him try to lead his boys through this year's battles! It is a simple matter of ethics! DO WHAT IS RIGHT FOR THE TEAM!

 

I don't have a "dog in this hunt" so I will shut up for now... I just hate to see this sort of thing start, no matter where you live. For two years a few people in Moore County have been preaching the same sort of hate. There are proper ways of making coaching changes, and as a coach, I don't think this is the correct way. Voice your concerns to the administration and don't play it out in the newspapers, and on the internet. It just looks bad for your community.

[Edited by ELA on 8-31-02 9:36P]

[Edited by ELA on 8-31-02 9:37P]

 

[catwatch]

cbg, the number of athletes is not the problem. The number of athletes on the team and field is another. Too many kids don't want to play for Lussier. He is discouraging. Had OR hired a quality, proven HEAD COACH this senior class would have stayed together and they would be in the 'boro in 14 weeks with out a doubt!

 

 

 

Posted by cbg:

Does Oak Ridge have the athletes that they once did? I know that some of the higher paying government jobs have been eliminated over the years. What is the population of the city of Oak Ridge? What is the pay scale of the head football coach and his assistant coaches?

[simocleo]

ELA,

With all due respect, the administration did not actually "give" the coach another year. When the movement began toward the end of last season to end the embarrassment to Oak Ridge Football several factors must be investigated.

 

Many players, parents, and many boosters, ready to express their disgust when they realized the athletic director and director of schools were both leaving and would not get involved [do their jobs] and if their identity were made public, they, of course, would be banished from the program by the dictator they wanted ousted.

 

NO ONE wants to ruin the season for the players or seniors.

 

The posts on these threads DID NOT BEAT THEM FRIDAY NIGHT.

They were out coached and poorly prepared.

[BDURHAM]

Coaching makes a difference, but many people in and outside of Oak Ridge have been saying that the talent pool is going down in the city. Is it possible the coach is a lighting rod for all of this frustration?

[simocleo]

NO!

 

 

Posted by StanTrott:

Coaching makes a difference, but many people in and outside of Oak Ridge have been saying that the talent pool is going down in the city. Is it possible the coach is a lighting rod for all of this frustration?

[ohreally]

I don't have a dog in this fight either. I will stop commenting about it, because nothing will make the coach step down. Furthermore, I don't think he should step down... it would set a poor example for the players.

 

The Oak Ridge detractors who post on this site should cease posting derogatory comments about the coach. It is a waste of time to run the coach down during the season and nothing will be accomplished.

 

To TankTalk... What would you call it if you did not want to call it "frustration mode?" After all the hard work that went into preparing for the first game I would be frustrated if I weren't successful. You tell me what to call it and I will follow your lead. Perhaps, I used the word "frustration" in error and you can provide a better word.

 

GWAVE1 brought up an interesting point... APATHY. It would be a travesty if no one cared whether the team won or lost. It would be devastating if no one cared enough to attend the games. It would be heartbreaking if the players looked to the stands and asked for support from the fans and the fans did not care enough to respond. If failure to succeed breeds apathy, all the tradition in the world will not heal the wounds being inflicted in Oak Ridge.

 

 

Good bye and good luck to all!

[Edited by ohreally on 9-1-02 10:47A]

 

[msgov]

If OR was outcoached, outprepared, outplayed Friday night vs. AC Comprehensive HS, I would be willing to bet they were also OUTRECRUITED!!!

[TankTalk]

To be honest, after looking at all the posts and hearing all the happenings in Oak Ridge, I would call it "Whining Mode." Winners don't whine when things get tough, they take what they have and try to make the best of it. You can say what you want to say about coaching...players not playing...it comes down to 11 guys on each side of the pigskin giving it their all...Oak Ridge lost Friday night...move on to next week.

 

And look around, players aren't playing in many places because there are so many distractions. Not every player that decides not to play, is doing so because of the coach.