Gary Murray resigned Tuesday as Hixson High School's head football coach after three seasons. Murray began working with the program in 2012 as an assistant coach, including as offensive coordinator in 2016.
"I've met some great people, made some great memories and learned a lot of life lessons while I've been at Hixson," Murray said. "I'll never forget the place. I live by the coaching philosophy that my players always knew that I cared about them, so that was a very emotional conversation to have.
"It'll be interesting to see what the options will be that come along," Murray said. "I've already had some contacts about other openings, so we'll just see what happens there."
Murray, who also has worked as an assistant at Cleveland and Soddy-Daisy, compiled a 2-27 overall record during his tenure that included a 2-8 finish last season. The Wildcats snapped a 24-game losing streak with a 43-14 win over Sequoyah in week five.
"Gary has been here a long time and has done a lot of good things and has been a great mentor to the kids. We thank him for what he's done here and wish him nothing but the best," Hixson athletic director Brian Bray said. "We'll open it up for people to apply and begin the process now to find our next head coach.
"We won't plan to set up any interviews until after Christmas break. We've got a good timeline. We want to get someone in place, but we don't want to rush it."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis