Central High School head football coach Ryan Mallory watches from the sidelines during their game on Oct. 24, 2014.After weeks of rumor it's finally official. Central High School will have yet another new football coach.
After one season, Ryan Mallory resigned his coaching duties. He said he made it official earlier this week during a conversation with Central principal Finley King.
"I did speak with Mr. King earlier this week. Really, the reason I stepped down was because I didn't feel I did a good enough job in the classroom," Mallory, an English teacher, said Friday afternoon. "After looking at students' grades for the first time, I feel I need to rededicate my efforts to them and get out of football for now."
It is thought that Gary Bloodsaw, first-year offensive coordinator on the Purple Pounders staff this season, will be named Mallory's successor. If that is the case, the former Brown Middle School coach will be the seventh head coach the Pounders have had this decade and the fourth since 2010.
Mallory succeeded John Allen (2011-13), and prior to Allen, Sam Montgomery had the program for one year (2010). David Barger was the coach from 2007 to '09, Bo Campbell in 2005 and '06 and Curt Jones from 2000 to '04.
Bloodsaw may be getting the job as part of a settlement from a lawsuit he had filed against the Hamilton County Department of Education. An alleged part of the settlement was that if Central had a change in its head football coaching position within three years, the job would be given to him.
"He's a good guy and he did everything we asked him to do to the best of his ability this past season," Mallory said. "He was on board 100 percent."
Mallory, who directed the Pounders into the Class 4A playoffs, completed his first head coaching season with a 6-5 record and a third-place District 6-AA finish behind Hixson and Red Bank.
"I feel like we got (football) to a better place than it was," he said. "I had a good coaching staff that worked hard, and I love the kids, but this is measuring full-time job against part-time job, and to me it's more important to stay on top of my classroom responsibilities."
Contact Ward Gossett at wgossett@timesfreepress.com or 423-886-4765. Follow him at Twitter.com/wardgossett.