Copper Basin head coach Patrick Daley instructs his team. Copper Basin visited Grace Academy for a pre-season high school football scrimmage on August 3, 2017. After 12 seasons as head football coach at his alma mater, Patrick Daley has resigned from Copper Basin High School.
"I just felt like it was time. My message was getting stagnant, and I felt like the kids probably need someone else to coach the program," Daley said. "It was a tough decision. Very emotional. I recently got married and we had a baby, and I wanted to step back and spend more time with my family.
"I'll explore other options and I'm not ruling out being a coach, or even a head coach somewhere else, but running the program at such a small school means you have to do everything by yourself pretty much, and that can wear on you."
Daley, a 1985 graduate of Copper Basin who compiled a 49-81 overall record, had just one paid assistant last season. He guided the Cougars to the Class 1A playoffs each of the past four years and seven times during his tenure. They reached the quarterfinals in 2010 and '14.
"Being a head coach has its advantages and disadvantages - you weigh more money versus more time at home," Daley said. "It's been an honor to coach at my alma mater for this long. This will always be home, and I'll always come back here and support the school. I'm not mad at anybody; it's just time to take a step back."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.