April 28, 2010
By Joe Williams, Orlando Sentinel
LEESBURG – Spring football practice begins on Saturday but Leesburg High School is without a head coach.
Charles Nassar, who has been the Yellow Jackets head coach for the past eight seasons, turned in his resignation Tuesday morning and said he was "worn out" from the duties of being a head coach.
Nassar informed his players during a fourth-period meeting.
"It is tough because spring football is right around the corner. There never is a good time to leave. If you leave in December, it is hard. If you leave on April 27, it is hard," Nassar said. "I just got worn out. I didn't get worn out by the game. I didn't get worn out by the kids. I just got worn out by the stuff that goes along with being a head coach."
Nassar had a 41-42 record at Leesburg, leading the Yellow Jackets to the playoffs twice and to a bowl game victory over Colonial. Nassar, an English teacher, will finish out the school year as a teacher and will look for a job as an assistant coach.
Leesburg principal Bill Miller said Leesburg assistant coach Tom Valenta would run the team during spring drills and he hoped to have a head coach hired by June 10, the final day of school.
"We had a conversation this morning," Miller said. "Charles, I think, has realized there are other things in his life that are gaining importance, such as raising his son. Charles has made a decision that is in the best interest of his family and of serving the kids on the football team.
"The ever increasing demands of an education-based football program I think wore on him. He has given this school every ounce of energy and passion he has. Now, it is time for him to redirect this energy."
Nassar said it was extremely difficult to face his players and tell them he had resigned.
"I can't even describe how difficult it was," Nassar said. "I don't want to overstate this, but I haven't felt the way I felt today since my father's funeral. I felt like a part of me was dying. But it would have been that way, no matter when I did it."
Nassar, a former football player at Bishop Moore, was going into his 18th season as a football coach. He began his coaching career at Kissimmee Gateway and also has assisted at Dr. Phillips, Lake Brantley and Apopka before spending three seasons at Lyman.
What Nassar was most proud about was the cumulative grade-point-average of his team. Since 2003, he said his team has never had anything lower than a combined 2.85 GPA.
"We have gotten a countless number of kids to their diploma, who would have possibly dropped out if it wasn't for football," Nassar said. "And, we have gotten a good number of kids who have gone on to play football at the next level. After our first season, we never fielded a team that wasn't competitive."
Miller agreed with what Nassar said about his football players.
"The conduct of his football players on the field and in our hallways has made us proud," Miller said. "We are thankful for the influence he has been able to affect on his team. His kids take education seriously. They strive to have solid GPAs. They stay out of trouble. He has instilled those qualities in those kids.
"His kids normally make the right decisions. He has fostered that."
One former Leesburg player, running back Tory Harrison, has finished his playing career at the University of Southern Mississippi and has signed a free agent contract with the Green Bay Packers, where he hopes to make the team as a running back/special teams performer.
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