Ty Wise has resigned as Signal Mountain's football coach after two seasons with the Eagles.Signal Mountain football coach Ty Wise resigned his coaching duties Monday afternoon.
"Coach Wise notified us of his decision today," said Eagles assistant principal and athletic director Bumper Reese. "He met with the team this afternoon. We are thankful for his dedication to our program and to our players over the last two years."
Under Wise, the Eagles had records of 1-9 in 2015 and 2-8 this past season.
"I think the biggest thing, and this is what I told my team, was that they needed new leadership - a change that would motivate players to come out for football and to encourage growth in the program top to bottom," Wise said. "I felt that was something the players and the team needed."
Wise was afflicted almost from the outset by defections, which somewhat undermined his short- and long-term goals. That was something he did not want to discuss, however.
He instead spoke of his reflections since the 2016 season ended.
"I'm a team guy and have been as a player, as an assistant coach, then as a coordinator and head coach," Wise said. "When I started to think about next season, I felt the right thing to do for the program was to step down and enable someone to step in, encourage growth and revitalize the program."
For the time being, Wise plans to remain on the Signal Mountain faculty while he and his family weigh the options.
"I love it here. I love coaching here. It's an amazing place to work every day," he said. "But at the same time losing football games is tough to overcome as a head coach, and I wanted to do what was best for the program."
He feels he forged good relationships.
"Speaking as the leader of the program, Signal Mountain has been a great place to teach and coach and is by far the best environment I've ever worked in. The support is second to none, and the young men I had an opportunity to impact were an absolute pleasure to coach and mentor," he said. "I'll never forget the teams I had the opportunity to coach, my fellow teachers and the administration. Signal Mountain is a great place to be a part of."
A specific timetable has not been set for finding Wise's successor, but it's likely the job will be posted before the end of the month with hopes of having the position filled shortly after Christmas break.
Contact Ward Gossett at wgossett@timesfreepress.com or 423-886-4765. Follow him at Twitter.com/wardgossett.