Nick Bryant resigns as Grundy County coach

Grundy head coach Nick Bryant.
Grundy head coach Nick Bryant.
photo Grundy head coach Nick Bryant.

Nick Bryant has resigned as Grundy County football coach.

"I felt it was a good time," he said. "We lost some good players, but we have several players returning, the program is in good shape financially and the team will be moving into a new district next fall."

Bryant gave the program some stability. When he took over, he was the Yellow Jackets' fourth head coach in four years. Greg Brewer (second time around) coached them in 2006, Chris Pickett in 2007 and Jim Swafford in 2008.

Bryant's first team in 2009 managed five wins, which equaled the number of victories for the previous three seasons. He also got them in the playoffs for the first time since 2004, which was Ken Colquette's final season as coach.

The Yellow Jackets never missed the playoffs on Bryant's watch, and his successor will inherit a team that has made five consecutive postseason appearances.

"We were competitive," Bryant said. "I think the worst finish in the district was a tie for third. Our one losing season was 2013, but we still made the playoffs."

Bryant said he was torn between being a head coach and a family man, never finding the balance a coach and father/husband must discover.

"Being a head coach takes so much time. It really crushes family life and family time. That's the biggest reason I'm looking for an assistant's job," he said. "You don't have to worry about facility maintenance, dealing with parents or fundraising.

"I know even during the dead (no-contact) period when I was on vacation, I was getting calls from parents and boosters. It's 24 hours a day and 365 days a year."

Contact Ward Gossett at wgossett@timesfreepress.com or 423-886-4765. Follow him at Twitter.com/wardgossett.

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