Rumors Becoming True

This is the time of year that high  school years are ending and with that comes moves.  Those moves are based on teacher contract ending and for some they get out of the business move on to better situations or just move to another school

This is also the time of years when rumors become true, found out just to be wishful thinking.  We do know at this point one of the rumors are true and that BW Holt has packed his gear and departed as football coach.  To say the least Rocky Mount Academy fell into a pot of gold landing Holt.

A 68 year old  man who could not forget the life of coaching.  A man who missed the sweaty days of August when you put together your team.  Mold them into a fighting machine that will take on all comers in the football field.  Stare at film  of players  sometimes your own team but mostly other teams and developing a plan to beat them.

Stand on the sidelines on Friday night and play a chess match with the coach on the other sideline who wants desperately to beat you.  Plain and simple the man was born a football coach and he probably would have loved to have died standing on the sidelines on a Friday night coaching his team.  Plans don't always go the way we plan.

Once departing Rocky Mount High and a year away from the game  Holt looked high and dry to find a public school needing the services of and old ball coach who could turn a stale program around over night.  None saw the need.  Coach Holt told me one night after he was on a TV show with me that he wished he had of found Rocky Mount 30 years earlier.  The talent level that was here plus those with the wallets willing  to improve to stay at the top of the game.

Holt had the ability to change programs over night  and he had enough salesman in him that when he sat down with a supporter of the program he could sell you to pull out your pocketbook for the money to make changes.  Both Rocky Mount High and Rocky Mount Academy supporters bought in.  The biggest thing you get back from Holt is he is your friend for life.  His devotion  to you is ever lasting.

Holt was never a person to sit still and rest on his laurels.  Always pushing for more to make a program better than what it is today. Life throws curve balls sometimes when we are looking a fastball.  Holt resigns and RMA is faced with finding a replacement.  I can tell you right now finding a golden nugget will not be as easy as landing a coach who just needed to coach.

The football history at RMA has a period when they dropped football altogether.  Eight man football in North Carolina has it's finger nails  dug in the dirt hanging on the edge of a cliff.  Several private schools don't know whether their doors will be open or if they will have enough players to even field an eight man team.

Will RMA be forced if it is to continue to field  a football team be forced to go back to eleven man!   Holt was only a part time coach who whenever possible went home to Bristol Tennessee.  Despite winning two state championships what coach would leave a full time position at a public high school to go to coach eight man?  How many retired coaches do you know like Holt just can't live without football?  I suspect RMA will go back to a volunteer coach who comes after work because he likes coaching and loves RMA and wants to keep football alive.  RMA just can't luck up and find another Holt can  they?