Although Cleveland High School was never in a rush to find its next head football coach, the program's new hire will certainly move quickly in trying to build the Blue Raiders back to their former glory.
Cleveland announced Friday morning that Chandler Tygard, who has built a reputation for running fast-paced offenses, has been named coach. He replaces Marty Wheeler, who said he was retiring from coaching when he stepped down this past fall.
An e-mail was sent to Cleveland City Schools employees Friday morning confirming the hire.
Tygard was the head coach at Blackman the previous two seasons, helping take that program from a four-win team the year before his arrival to a 10-win season last year with a trip to the TSSAA Class 6A quarterfinals, where the Blaze lost to fellow Murfreesboro program and eventual state champion Oakland.
"The potential and what Cleveland football could be again, that's what made the job so attractive," Tygard said. "I was very happy at Blackman, but after seeing what's possible at Cleveland, it's just an opportunity we couldn't pass up.
"There are a lot of things at Cleveland that should give us an advantage when it comes to trying to compete. It's a one-school city system with tons of support from the administration and community. That support gives us the best chance to get where we want to be and compete with the top teams for championships."
Tygard was 15-8 in two seasons at Blackman, and last year the Blaze scored an average of 38.1 points per game, including six of 40-plus points. Prior to that, he was the head coach at North Jackson (Alabama) for two years, where he went 10-14 and his offense set five school records and led the state in total offense and passing offense.
"I'm a different kind of coach. My teams are known for playing with a swagger; we want the game to be fun because that's what the kids enjoy," said Tygard, whose Blackman program produced three Power Five signees and two Tennessee Titans Mr. Football semifinalists last season.
"That's what it's all about," he added. "One of the media guys who covered us at Blackman noticed we also run the most college-ready offense in the state. If a kid has the talent and wants to play (NCAA) Division I football, we will make sure he gets there.
"I have a large vision for what we're going to do and how we can separate ourselves. Winning is important to Cleveland, and it's important to me. I've seen what Oakland and the best teams are doing, and that's the level we'll be building toward."
Tygard began his career as a graduate assistant at Tennessee and was later a defensive line assistant at the University of the Cumberlands and a receivers coach at Missouri Southern State before working as the defensive coordinator at Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga and the offensive coordinator for one season each at Ravenwood in Brentwood and Alabama's Madison Academy.
“Coach Tygard has an impressive resumé and background,” Cleveland director of schools Russell Dyer said in a release. “Even more impressive, in my opinion, is his ability to connect with the student-athletes and the community.”
Cleveland athletic director Al Morris added: “As we conducted an extensive search for the best football coach and the best fit for Cleveland High School, Coach Tygard’s accomplishments and the fast-paced offense have us excited. Coach Tygard is ready to work with our youth and get all our programs vertically aligned. We value the importance of building a championship culture.”
Although Cleveland won three consecutive Class 4A state titles from 1993-95 under legendary longtime coach Benny Monroe, Tygard is the program's seventh head coach since Monroe stepped down in 1996 as Leon Brown (1997-2004), Danny Wilson (2005-08), E.K. Slaughter (2009-11), Ron Crawford (2012-14), Scott Cummings (2015-18) and Wheeler (2019-22) all came up shy of producing the same level of success.
Since 1996, Cleveland has had just one season with double-digit victories, finishing 10-4 and reaching the state semifinals in 2013. During the same time frame, the Blue Raiders have won nine games three times but had 17 seasons in which they finished with seven or fewer wins.
Wheeler stepped down in early November, just after the team completed a 6-4 season that included a 28-24 upset of perennial power Maryville to snap the Rebels' 144-game streak of region wins, a run that dated to Sept. 15, 2000. During Wheeler's four seasons, the Blue Raiders compiled a 21-21 record that included two playoff appearances.
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293.
Updated with more information at 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 27, 2023.