Individual Coaching Tenures at Florida's Top Programs

[OldSchoolLion]

Below are the head coaches and their current tenures at 75 of the top programs in Florida. Would be interesting to know how this data compares versus years past.  

24% of the coaches have been there 10 years or more.

60% of the coaches have been there 5 years or less.

40% of the coaches have been there 2 years or less.

Geographical breakdown

44%(8/18) of North Florida coaches have been there 6 years or more.

48%(12/25) of Central Florida coaches have been there 6 or more years.

31%(10/32) of South Florida coaches  have been there 6 or more years.

43%(12/28) of Dade/Broward/Palm Beach County coaches have been there 2 years or less.

40%(10/25) of Central Florida coaches have been there 2 years or less.

33%(6/18) of North Florida coaches have been there 2 years or less.

 

6 years or more-30 coaches

Lakeland-Bill Castle-42 seasons-6 state titles

Trinity Christian-Verlon Dorminey-27 seasons-7 state titles

Hillsborough-Earl Garcia-25 seasons-1 state final appearance

Dwyer-Jack Daniels-22 seasons-2 state titles

Palm Bay-Dan Burke-22 seasons-2 state titles

Naples-Bill Kramer-20 seasons-2 state titles

Charlotte-Binky Waldrop-19 seasons

Bartram Trail-Darrell Sutherland-18 seasons-1 state title

Columbus-Chris Merritt-17 seasons-1 final appearance

Niceville-John Hicks-17 seasons-2 state final appearances

Apopka-Rick Darlington-16 seasons-3 state titles

Bishop Moore-Matt Hedrick-16 seasons-1 state title

Fort Myers-Sam Sirianni Jr-16 seasons

Monsignor Pace-Joe Zaccheo-15 seasons-1 state title

Plant-Robert Weiner-14 seasons-4 state titles

Plantation-Steve Davis-12 seasons

Winter Park-Tim Shifflet-12 seasons

Booker T Washington/Miami-Tim Harris-10 seasons-3 state titles

Norland-Daryle Heidelburg-9 seasons-1 state title

Madison County-Mike Coe-8 seasons-1 state title

Osceola-Doug Nichols-8 seasons-2 state title appearances

Raines-Deran Wiley-8 seasons-1 state title

University Christian-David Penland-8 seasons-3 state titles

Columbia-Brian Allen-7 seasons

Dr Phillips-Rodney Wells-7 seasons-1 state title

Tampa Bay Tech-Jayson Roberts-7 seasons

Vero Beach-Lenny Jankowski-7 seasons

Braden River-Curt Bradley-6 seasons

Navarre-Jay Walls-6 seasons

South Dade-Nate Hudson Jr-6 seasons-1 title

 

5 years or less-45 coaches (state titles/appearances not included below)

Atlantic/Delray Beach-TJ Jackson-5 seasons

Miami Central-Roland Smith-5 seasons

Tampa Catholic-Mike Gregory-5 seasons

Wakulla-Barry Klees-5 seasons

Palm Beach Central-Tino Ierulli-4 seasons

Palmetto/Miami-Mike Manasco-4 seasons

Ponte Vedra-Matt Toblin-4 seasons

Western-Adam Ratkevich-4 seasons

Vanguard-Edwin Farmer-4 seasons

Deerfield Beach-Devon Glenn-3 seasons

Northwestern-Max Edwards-3 seasons

Pensacola-Mike Mincy-3 seasons

Rockledge-Wayne Younger-3 seasons

St. Thomas Aquinas-Roger Harriott-3 seasons

University School-Daniel Luque-3 seasons

American Heritage/Plantation-Pat Surtain-2 seasons

Baker County-Jamie Rogers-2 seasons

Cardinal Gibbons-Matt Dubuc-2 seasons

Chaminade-Madonna-Dameon Jones-2 seasons

Daytona Beach Mainland-Chuck Smith-2 seasons

Immokalee-Rodelin Anthony-2 seasons

Jones-Elijah Williams-2 seasons

Lake Gibson-Doug DeMyer-2 seasons

Oxbridge Academy-Brendan Kent-2 seasons

Pahokee-Orson Walkes-2 seasons

St Augustine-Brian Braddock-2 seasons

Wekiva-Rich Bedesem-2 seasons

Armwood-Evan Davis-1 season

Bolles-Wayne Belger-1 season

Carol City-Benedict Hyppolite-1 season

Edgewater-Cameron Duke-1 season

Escambia-Mike Bennett-1 season

Glades Central-Jessie Hester-1 season

Godby-Corey Fuller-1 season

Lincoln-Quinn Gray-1 season

Miramar-Antwan Scott-1 season

West Florida-Rhett Summerford-1 season

Boyd Anderson-Darion Gray-0 seasons

Cocoa-Ryan Schneider-0 seasons

Dillard-Toriano Morgan-0 seasons

Miami-Zach Gardner-0 seasons

Sarasota Riverview-Josh Smithers-0 seasons

Southridge-Sedrick Irvin-0 seasons

Venice-Larry Shannon-0 seasons

Viera-Derek Smith-0 seasons

[Hwy17]

What's the criteria, how long the coach has been at the program? State title games played in? Winning Seasons? Winning %?

[OldSchoolLion]

7 minutes ago, Hwy17 said:

What's the criteria, how long the coach has been at the program? State title games played in? Winning Seasons? Winning %?

No objectives means for picking the 75.  Note I stated "75 of the top programs."  Think of it as a not-so-random sampling that hopefully is representative of a broader picture.  The point of the exercise was to see if any trends emerged out of the data concerning coaching stability/turnover. 

One that seems pretty evident is that coaches in the south don't stick around as long as their northern counterparts.  The question then becomes, "How does that impact overall performance of their teams?"  Some level of turnover may be a good thing.  But there is likely a tipping point where too much has a negative impact.   

[Hwy17]

The reason I ask is because there are a lot of really good coaches that never win the big one or get over shadowed by someone else.  I did a thread on this a while back.

 

 

[OldSchoolLion]

8 minutes ago, Hwy17 said:

The reason I ask is because there are a lot of really good coaches that never win the big one or get over shadowed by someone else.  I did a thread on this a while back.

 

 

Absolutely.  Unfortunately, a lot of our great coaches are retiring.  I am afraid the days of high school coaches making a career of high school coaching might be on the way out.  Hope I am wrong.  

[Hwy17]

In my area:  Charlie Tate has been at Winter Haven for 14 years .  Before that he was at Mosley for 10, Bartow for 6, and I think DeSoto for 4.  He was making WH a power in 6a then got moved into 7a with Lakeland.

Jamal Cornelius has been at Fort Meade for 7 years.  Typically he has them in the playoffs.  

 

[OldSchoolLion]

45 minutes ago, Hwy17 said:

In my area:  Charlie Tate has been at Winter Haven for 14 years .  Before that he was at Mosley for 10, Bartow for 6, and I think DeSoto for 4.  He was making WH a power in 6a then got moved into 7a with Lakeland.

Jamal Cornelius has been at Fort Meade for 7 years.  Typically he has them in the playoffs.  

 

Fort Meade hasn't won a playoff game for years.  What factor(s) caused their downfall?

Winter Haven is due to take out Lakeland...solid program.

Is Lake Wales back?

[Hwy17]

Fort Meade made the playoffs in 2015 but graduated a lot players. Going to an open schedule in the class A with no district, the Miners loaded up a tough schedule.

Winter Haven, I really think would had made a title run in 2016 had they stayed in 6a. 

Lake Wales, was 8-2 last season but 3rd in the district and no playoffs. I take it the schedule wasn't strong enough to get them enough points. I hear Sebring graduated a lot of players so maybe Lake Wales benefits this year.

BTW, if you haven't heard, Sebring's qb transferred to Hardee.

[OldSchoolLion]

3 minutes ago, Hwy17 said:

Fort Meade made the playoffs in 2015 but graduated a lot players. Going to an open schedule in the class A with no district, the Miners loaded up a tough schedule.

Winter Haven, I really think would had made a title run in 2016 had they stayed in 6a. 

Lake Wales, was 8-2 last season but 3rd in the district and no playoffs. I take it the schedule wasn't strong enough to get them enough points. I hear Sebring graduated a lot of players so maybe Lake Wales benefits this year.

BTW, if you haven't heard, Sebring's qb transferred to Hardee.

Ever eaten at John's Drive-In in Ft Meade?  

[Hwy17]

12 minutes ago, OldSchoolLion said:

Ever eaten at John's Drive-In in Ft Meade?  

A long long time ago.

[gatorman-uf]

Could North Florida schools have fewer options in terms of switching, thus when they get the job they hold on to it? For example, a coach at Miami Central could stay at the same house and coach at Miami Central and change to say Miami Norland and it is only an extra 9 mile drive. Compare that to a Suwannee High School going to  Madison County High School, which is a difference of 34 miles. Wouldn't these kind of factors encourage consistent movement among South Florida coaches and less movement among North Florida coaches?

Even in the city of Gainesville, there are 3 public school but the furthest distance between the 2 (Buchholz and Eastside) is only 10 miles, but after that there aren't too many other public school options. Same thing in Marion County. Go to any public school in Miami-Dade/Broward, how many schools are you hitting in a 10 mile radius, probably more than 2. 

I also feel like northern schools like people who are homegrown coaches (long time assistants) or alumni of the school. The schools reward loyalty. Broward has the issue of pay in comparison to Palm Beach and Miami-Dade where both counties pay their coaches over 1K more than a Broward coach. 

 

Older article:
http://www.jacksonville.com/sports/high-schools/2016-07-09/story/florida-produces-most-nfl-talent-yet-statewide-pay-high-school

http://www.gainesville.com/sports/20160717/supplemental-pay-for-head-coaches-in-all-67-florida-counties

[OldSchoolLion]

Below are some of the teams that have competed in state finals in the past 5 years.  It's interesting that all have had the benefit of pretty good stability at the head coaching position over the past 5-10 years.  It does not seem common to find teams competing for state titles that have experienced a lot of coaching turnover.  

Apopka

Atlantic

Bartram Trail

Bishop Moore

Bolles

Cocoa

Columbus

Dr Phillips

Dwyer

Madison County

Miami Central

Miami Washington

Niceville

Osceola

Raines

South Dade

Southridge

St Thomas Aquinas

Trinity Christian

Venice

Wakulla

[OldSchoolLion]

16 minutes ago, gatorman-uf said:

Could North Florida schools have fewer options in terms of switching, thus when they get the job they hold on to it? For example, a coach at Miami Central could stay at the same house and coach at Miami Central and change to say Miami Norland and it is only an extra 9 mile drive. Compare that to a Suwannee High School going to  Madison County High School, which is a difference of 34 miles. Wouldn't these kind of factors encourage consistent movement among South Florida coaches and less movement among North Florida coaches?

Even in the city of Gainesville, there are 3 public school but the furthest distance between the 2 (Buchholz and Eastside) is only 10 miles, but after that there aren't too many other public school options. Same thing in Marion County. Go to any public school in Miami-Dade/Broward, how many schools are you hitting in a 10 mile radius, probably more than 2. 

I also feel like northern schools like people who are homegrown coaches (long time assistants) or alumni of the school. The schools reward loyalty. Broward has the issue of pay in comparison to Palm Beach and Miami-Dade where both counties pay their coaches over 1K more than a Broward coach. 

 

Older article:
http://www.jacksonville.com/sports/high-schools/2016-07-09/story/florida-produces-most-nfl-talent-yet-statewide-pay-high-school

http://www.gainesville.com/sports/20160717/supplemental-pay-for-head-coaches-in-all-67-florida-counties

..great points.  Keep in mind, though, that what might seem like a "short" drive in Miami might not be.  9 miles can sometimes take forever lol

Do agree about loyalty.  There is a sense of community in rural areas of central and north FL that has been absent in south FL for a long time.  South FL became one big blob of humanity.  I think that identity is what gave the northern schools the edge over south FL schools pre-1990's.  At some point, the sheer volume of talent in south FL likely caused things to tip.  

South FL is notorious for its fickle fans, so maybe that has trickled down to the hs ranks with less patience for new coaches.  I sometimes think south Floridians love the drama and encourage it, versus country folk who are just fine with things staying the same. North FL honors its great coaches and folks there know their names.  They are respected for their ability to build men as as well as athletes.  ...IMO, much more so than in south Florida.  

 

[WhatsUpDoc]

21 hours ago, OldSchoolLion said:

Fort Meade hasn't won a playoff game for years.  What factor(s) caused their downfall?

Winter Haven is due to take out Lakeland...solid program.

Is Lake Wales back?

Phosphate mines are moving out of Polk County may have something to do with it. Ft Meade use to be a vibrant lively town and now it looks run down. This is the cost of allowing these Phosphate Mines, come in, dig up your land and then they leave you hanging high and dry. Then parents move out to other geographical areas.

[OldSchoolLion]

59 minutes ago, WhatsUpDoc said:

Phosphate mines are moving out of Polk County may have something to do with it. Ft Meade use to be a vibrant lively town and now it looks run down. This is the cost of allowing these Phosphate Mines, come in, dig up your land and then they leave you hanging high and dry. Then parents move out to other geographical areas.

But ya'll have that purdy golf resort Mosaic built so folks there can make minimum wage while they charge outrageous prices.   ...sad 

[Hwy17]

6 minutes ago, OldSchoolLion said:

But ya'll have that purdy golf resort Mosaic built so folks there can make minimum wage while they charge outrageous prices.   ...sad 

 Old Florida - orange groves, small farms, cattle ranches, now one big hole in the ground.  

[DisabledAccount]

On 5/15/2018 at 9:28 AM, OldSchoolLion said:

..great points.  Keep in mind, though, that what might seem like a "short" drive in Miami might not be.  9 miles can sometimes take forever lol

Do agree about loyalty.  There is a sense of community in rural areas of central and north FL that has been absent in south FL for a long time.  South FL became one big blob of humanity.  I think that identity is what gave the northern schools the edge over south FL schools pre-1990's.  At some point, the sheer volume of talent in south FL likely caused things to tip.  

South FL is notorious for its fickle fans, so maybe that has trickled down to the hs ranks with less patience for new coaches.  I sometimes think south Floridians love the drama and encourage it, versus country folk who are just fine with things staying the same. North FL honors its great coaches and folks there know their names.  They are respected for their ability to build men as as well as athletes.  ...IMO, much more so than in south Florida.  

 

Something that i feel effects North Florida teams is the way most teams are built 

 

Used to be offenses like I formation and wing T so you saw primary run offenses which utilized bigger players and fundamentals

 

Now with spread offenses so common the biggest advantage in skill positions are in the corner of SFL (speed) 

 

North Florida just can't defend that speed SFL has

[OldSchoolLion]

15 minutes ago, ColumbiaHighFan2017class said:

Something that i feel effects North Florida teams is the way most teams are built 

 

Used to be offenses like I formation and wing T so you saw primary run offenses which utilized bigger players and fundamentals

 

Now with spread offenses so common the biggest advantage in skill positions are in the corner of SFL (speed) 

 

North Florida just can't defend that speed SFL has

Good point Columbia.  As much speed and talent as south FL has, though, some of those teams have had difficulty lighting up the scoreboard against OOS competition that was substantially slower, but possibly more disciplined and/or more physical.(post below)  The 1987 Fiesta Bowl, in which Penn St beat the Canes, was the perfect example of speed being neutralized.  And that is not the only time the Canes have struggled with the physicality of Big 10 opponents.

    

 

[DisabledAccount]

21 minutes ago, OldSchoolLion said:

Good point Columbia.  As much speed and talent as south FL has, though, some of those teams have had difficulty lighting up the scoreboard against OOS competition that was substantially slower, but possibly more disciplined and/or more physical.(post below)  The 1987 Fiesta Bowl, in which Penn St beat the Canes, was the perfect example of speed being neutralized.  And that is not the only time the Canes have struggled with the physicality of Big 10 opponents.

    

 

Didn't Miami also throw 5 picks in that game? 

[OldSchoolLion]

7 minutes ago, ColumbiaHighFan2017class said:

Didn't Miami also throw 5 picks in that game? 

sounds right...Heisman winner Vinny Testaverde and Michael Irvin