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Watauga High School Head Football Coach Steps Down Tuesday But Still Remains Athletic Director

By Madison V. Fisler

Dec. 13, 2012. On Tuesday, Tom Wright stepped down as the interim head football coach at Watauga High School after one year at the position. 

Wright, who is also the athletic director at WHS,  took over the position after the previous head coach, Tim Pruitt, resigned as coach in April to take another coaching position in Cherryville.  During Wright’s year in charge of the team, the Pioneers finished in fifth place for the season. 

“I thought we had a good year,” Wright said. “I truly enjoyed it, it was great to be around young people again. As atheletic director I don’t get that chance very often.”

When Wright took the position, it was with the understanding that he would just do it for the year to get through the year without having to immediately scramble for a new head coach. Wright said that he had just given them a one year commitment until the timing was right to find someone else for the job. 

Wright said that he loved coaching the football team this past year, but it proved to be too time consuming. Because of this, he decided to concentrate on his position as athletic director for the pioneers and let someone with more time to devote to the team take the head coach position.

“I appreciated the opportunity to do it and I loved it but I felt like it was time to step down and let someone else take over,” Wright said.

The open position was posted yesterday and will remain open for ten days for applicants to apply and send in their resume to be considered. Alongside the head coach position is the physical education teaching position that was left vacant when Pruitt resigned. The positions will remain posted for ten days, after which a committee will be organized to consider the applicants. There is no word on when the new coach will be announced.