Former Leesburg Star Greg Johnson Is One Of 21 Candidates For The Post Of Head Football Coach.
LEESBURG — Greg Johnson, Osceola High School's football coach since 1988, Thursday confirmed he is a candidate for the coaching vacancy at Leesburg High, his alma mater.
Ken Weir resigned last month after three seasons to take over at Stuart Martin County - a job he begins Monday. Leesburg Principal Jim Polk said he will interview candidates through April 10 and then turn over a list of leading candidates to a search committee.
That committee will conduct interviews with the top candidates on April 13, and Polk said he hopes to name his new coach later that week.
Friends have lobbied Johnson to return to Leesburg.
''Twenty years ago I was being recruited (by colleges) to leave Leesburg,'' said Johnson, who will meet with Polk on Monday. ''Twenty years later, I'm being recruited to come back.''
But Johnson is only one of 21 candidates who had applied for the job as of Thursday afternoon. Among those who have submitted resumes, which Polk showed to The Lake Sentinel, are several coaches with Central Florida ties.
Most come with impressive credentials like Johnson; Clermont High graduate and former Merritt Island assistant coach Jeff McLean; Bill Ragle, who was Wildwood's head coach in the mid-1970s; and Ed Hoffman, who worked as Leesburg's defensive assistant under Weir.
Among locals who also have contacted Polk are Dave McNish, a 1969 Eustis graduate and former Clermont assistant who is now the head coach at Monticello's Aucilla Christian Academy; Wildwood assistant Richard Graybill; former Wildwood, Tavares and Eustis coach Dub Palmer; and Jim Culpepper, whose father was coach at Eustis High School.
Polk refused to name leading candidates.
''We have some outstanding people who have applied,'' Polk said. ''The thing that is most important is there are a lot of people who would like to come in with the group of kids we have and win next year, build their resume, and then leave.
''But I am looking for someone who will stay with the program. Ken did an excellent job of building the program, and I want to continue it.''
Although Polk will make the final decision, his search committee, which will consist of parents Marcus Lawrence and Gene Ellis, booster president Jim Crum, faculty representative Cary Dillinger and a football player, will turn over their top choices.
Even if Johnson is offered the job, it doesn't necessarily mean he'll accept it. Earlier this year he rejected an offer to join Gene McDowell's staff as the University of Central Florida's defensive line coach.
''I'm very happy at Osceola,'' he said. ''I'm not looking to leave. Osceola High and Kissimmee have treated me and my family fairly, and we're committed to the community. But because of circumstances, it's worth sitting down and listening to what those people have to say.
''If it wasn't Leesburg, I wouldn't give it a second thought. I'm not looking to make a lateral move, but I must consider what's advantageous for me and my family.''
Johnson, 38, joined Osceola's staff as an assistant in 1984 and became the Kowboys' head coach in 1988 when Mike Vogt resigned after two seasons.
Osceola, 26-18 in Johnson's tenure, was a Class AAA state semifinalist in 1990 and has been involved in postseason competition three of the past four seasons.
McLean comes recommended out of the Merritt Island program, one of the state's best under Gerald Odom. He was an assistant there from 1982-91 and spent last year working as a graduate-assistant at the University of Florida.
Ragle, 43, is now the head coach at Smiths Station High School in Smiths, Ala. His career record is 98-75, which includes a 25-10 mark from 1974-76 at Wildwood. In 1976, the Wildcats were Class AA state semifinalists.
Hoffman is considered a strong candidate because of his work with Leesburg's defense, his knowledge of the players, the program and the system. He has had former head coaching experience at Tampa Catholic and East Lake in Tarpon Springs.
Resources
Frank Carroll And Joe Williams
The Sentinel Staff
Orlando Sentinel
April 3, 1992
Leesburg Public Library
http://www.ci.leesburg.fl.us/library/
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Article provided by:
Gerald LaceyStaff Writer
Carver Heights Quarterback Club
1986 Varsity Jackets Football Lettermen #82
Class of 1988 Leesburg High School
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