Randall Boldin, who guided Whitwell High School’s football team to the Class 1A state championship last season, resigned Wednesday to take over the program at Waverly, his alma mater.
Boldin, 34, had been the Tigers’ head coach for just two seasons, compiling a 26-2 overall record, including last season’s 15-0 run that culminated in the school’s first state championship in any sport.
“It’s been one of the most difficult decisions I’ve ever had to make, and that’s because of the relationships we built with the kids and the community,” Boldin said. “The reason you get into coaching is for the relationships, and I feel like we made an impact from the high school level down to the little league.
“The changing of the mindset in this community was huge for us. I think we did that. We let the community know we can be successful with a lot of hard work. We felt like this was a special place and that proved to be true.
“Unfortunately there’s an illness in our family that requires our attention back home, and it’s also a chance to get back to my alma mater. Several of the coaches that I played for are now in charge there in administration, so it was a big draw to get to work for some of those men who helped shape me.”