Generals McCreary steps down after 13 years as head coach
By Brian Questel
December 14, 2011
913
Once a General, always a General.
Its a saying at Wooster High School, but some people live that.
Mike McCreary did, going back to his high school days at Wooster and into his adult life when he began to teach and coach at Wooster. He was Wooster, through and through.
Thats probably still the case today, although perhaps to a lesser degree after the 45-year-old resigned his position as head coach. McCreary and athletic director Andy Kellar reached an impasse on the direction of changes to be made and rather than be caught in a situation he was uncomfortable with, McCreary opted to walk away from a job and position he loved.
McCreary, 69-63 overall and 4-6 this past season, discussed the situation with his coaches Friday (Dec. 9) and then met with his team Monday before turning in his resignation Tuesday morning, officially ending his 13-year tenure as head coach of the program he grew up in.
McCreary was a starter at quarterback and played linebacker for the Generals. He left to attend the University of Toledo and was good enough to earn a tryout with the New York Giants. He then returned to Wooster to begin coaching, first as an assistant coach and then the past 13 as head coach.
McCreary wasnt ready to stop coaching – indeed, he had every intention of returning for his 14th season – but opted to resign rather than go along with the changes that had been prescribed.
In the spirit of continuously improving the program, I discussed some changes I thought needed to be made with the program and he wasnt comfortable with making those changes, so in response to that Coach McCreary ultimately resigned, said Kellar.
We did not fire and its not whether we wanted Coach McCreary as our head coach or not, added Kellar. I have great respect for him as a person and a teacher and he cares for kids a great deal. I respected his decision. He also knew and knows that I would have liked to have kept him as head coach and keep him as head of our program. He was uncomfortable with some of the proposed changes in the program.
Neither Kellar nor McCreary discussed those changes, although McCreary saw them as must-do changes rather than as discussion points.
Without getting too much into it, it was more of a do it this way and not a broad discussion of potential changes, McCreary felt.
You have to or youre not going to coach anymore, was how McCreary summed it up. I said no to the changes. I was hired to be football coach and to do things that I think – we think – are good. Every year we evaluate ourselves. Heck, I evaluate myself as a teacher every day and ask myself if I could have done things better. As a staff we evaluate our weaknesses and ourselves and how we could do things better every year.
The changes they were asking for I said I was not comfortable making. I said I wasnt doing it. I honestly dont know all the issues. There were some main issues and then some other things that could have been recommendations. But, Im the head coach and you hired me to do the job. If not, Ill cop to that. Just dont tell me how to do the job you hired me for.
McCreary certainly leaves the program in far better shape than he was hired in 1999. When Bob McFarland retired in 1989 as the winningest coach in Wooster history, Wooster was headed out of the Cardinal Conference and into the Federal League, a league ill-suited for the Generals who struggled number-wise, both on the roster and scoreboard. McCreary was an assistant during those years and knew the struggles the team went through.
Im proud of what we did, said McCreary, who won the first two Ohio Cardinal Conference football titles (2003-04) and advanced into the playoffs both years. I was here in the 90s and know what we went through. We were in the Federal League and you have to be nasty tough in that league. There were some good coaches before me.
We didnt have many kids – we could only get 40 kids out. Now weve been mid-50s every year and sometime in the 60s (in the upper three grades). In football, you need to have numbers. We have kids playing in college and have opportunities, which we didnt have for a while. The kids worked hard. We had two Division I playoff opportunities, which is unbelievable. People dont comprehend how difficult that is. We were 8-2 and in a good conference, and in our first three games played Federal League teams, and the next year we were 9-1 and in fifth place in our region.
I dont want to take away from area teams, but if you go 8-2 or 9-1, you have a home game. We were not playing the Little Sisters of the Poor. Im extremely proud of that. Weve had ups and downs since then; years that we were not supposed to be good and were. We had some good years and some that werent. The kids have worked hard and not quit. They had a great attitude. Would I have wanted to win more? Absolutely, but Im proud of the kids.
Everybody wants to win – I want to win. No coach doesnt, but its not the only thing. High school sports are the purest of all sports. Its not a business yet. Theres success you see as coach that no one else sees and thats as powerful to coaches and players as winning. If I could win every championship, I would, but to see them grow up to be young men and improve, and see the kids who dont play a lot but improve, too, thats something special no one gets unless youre a coach. That will be something Ill miss a lot.
The search for a new coach will go through the formal process, said Kellar, and will be posted as soon as it is approved. At that point we will do a search on the candidates that apply, said Kellar. We will choose a person I think and we think that is a good fit to move the program forward.
The coaches from the staff have stepped up and are willing on an interim basis to keep the weight program going, so the kids and parents know that is in place. When we find the right person, that will be their program to take over.
I dont have a specific time line, but we are moving on this now, added Kellar. There is no time to wait. I dont have a specific date, but I hope its sometime in January. This is the biggest thing on my plate by far. This is an extremely important decision for the community and district. If we have a final 10 applicants and I dont feel its the right fit and its Jan. 15, then were going to search for the right fit. But, I believe well have significant amount of applicants and in short order well find that person.
Im saddened by Coach McCrearys decision. In a perfect world we would have come to an agreement and he would still be head coach. I had hopes and thoughts between Friday and Tuesday his coaches convince him otherwise. Hes good people. One thing Mike had is a lot of passion for the kids and longevity in the program, which was not there before him. I dont want to be looking in a year or two.
The good news for the new coach, said McCreary, is next year they have a great chance to make a run at the OCC. Whoever steps in, they can compete right away or should be able to. Thats good for the next coach.
If there is any good news for McCreary it means something special.
We have a little boy who is 3 and he controls everything at home right now. It will be exciting to spend more time with him.
Im proud of my staff and proud of the kids. We had great kids for 13 years. Ill miss that the most, working with the kids and staff and going out Friday nights and trying to be successful. When youve got good people youre working with it makes it even more special.
Thats what I will miss the most.
