Former Brainerd High School girls basketball coach Tyrus Ward pictured Dec. 16, 2014. Ward is returning to his alma mater to coach the football team. After several years of waiting his turn for an opportunity to become a head football coach here in his hometown, Tyrus Ward has accepted an offer to take over the program at Nashville's Whites Creek High School.
"I've been pursuing this opportunity for a long time, so it feels great to finally get the chance," Ward said. "It is kind of bittersweet because my top goal was to have the chance to coach here in Chattanooga but that never presented itself, so I'm really excited to have this opportunity in Nashville.
"I feel like I've been building toward this for some time and I'm ready to see what I can do as a head coach now. I know there's a lot of work to do but I'm going to get there as soon as possible and get started trying to build something good and bring back the pride to a program I understand has quite a bit of tradition."
Ward, who is currently the girls' head basketball coach at Brainerd and has been an assistant football coach for the Panthers, will finish out the basketball season before moving to Nashville with his family to begin preparing for spring practice. He has worked as a football assistant at both Brainerd and Red Bank previously and was a finalist for at least two head coaching jobs in Chattanooga within the past two years.
Whites Creek, which competes in Class 3A, has lost 25 consecutive games, with its last winning season coming in 2009 when the team advanced to the semifinals. Since then the Cobras have won just six games in five seasons.
Ward, 30, is widely considered not only one of the Chattanooga area's top young coaching prospects, but is also a respected mentor to young people.
"I'm all about building relationships and trying to help mold young men into positive people," Ward said. "I can't wait to get there and make sure the kids are doing what they should academically and then get going in the weight room.
"I called around before I even applied there and found out that it's similar to Brainerd in that it's an athletic goldmine, so I believe there will be talent to work with."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293.