Winegarden resigns

Larry Fleming

Adam Winegarden, who directed Dalton High School's football team to the state playoffs in 2009, resigned Monday after two seasons as head coach of the Catamounts.

The 32-year-old special education teacher, who will remain in that position through the end of the current school year, met with his coaching staff at 7 a.m. Monday and then with returning players 30 minutes later to inform them he was stepping down, Athletic Director Ronnie McClurg said.

Winegarden came under heavy pressure from boosters, sources have said, after he applied for the head coach/athletic director position at Perry High School, where he was among the three finalists. He withdrew his name from consideration two weeks ago, but the fact that he applied had become a matter of public record and was published stories by The Macon Telegraph and The Daily Citizen.

Following that, pressure from a small group of boosters for him to be replaced began to build.

In a Monday morning interview by The Daily Citizen with McClurg, Winegarden and Dalton Principal Debbie Freeman, the only response to a question about “outside influence” came from the principal.

“This decision,” Freeman said, “was made by Adam and his family and wasn’t about any outside influence that might or might not have been going on.”

In a later interview, superintendent Jim Hawkins said he heard from “some community members” who wanted Winegarden to resign.

“I don’t know if that’s a cause and effect,” Hawkins said. “...I don’t know if I would call it (pressure).”

Winegarden, who was Dalton’s quarterbacks coach for eight seasons as well as the offensive coordinator from 2003-07 prior to becoming head coach, wanted only to focus on what he considered the good things about his time with the program.

“I would like to thank Dalton High School for the many positives that I have experienced here and the many great memories that I will always cherish,” he said in a prepared statement.

“I have tremendous appreciation for our coaches, players, administration, community, and booster support that have made my time here special. There has not been a day over the past 10 years that I have not enjoyed working with the young men and striving to make them better.”

McClurg, who resigned in March 2008 and hand-picked Winegarden as his successor, said a search for a new coach would be completely open and current assistant coaches, if interested, would be considered.

McClurg said he hoped to have a coach in place before spring practice begins on May 17. Freeman and McClurg will be “in charge” of selecting the new coach, the principal said. She also said they would not rush the process because it was important to “get the right person for the job.”

Over the weekend, sources at the school said that Freeman, McClurg and Dalton Public Schools superintendent Jim Hawkins all supported Winegarden “1,000 percent,” but there was a “high probability” that he would resign on Monday.

Freeman issued a hand-written statement that said, in part: “As you can imagine, this is a sad day for our ‘Catamount football family,’ as we are losing our leader. I’ve known Adam for 10 years, one-third of his life, and I have watched him grow and mature into an excellent head coach.

“I applaud Adam for remaining true to his values of faith, family and football. I will miss him and I wish only the best for Adam, Ashley (Winegarden’s wife) and their children.”

The Winegardens have three children and Ashley is expecting a fourth.

McClurg was shaken by the resignation of Winegarden, who in 2008 became only the fifth coach to lead the Cats in 46 years.

“I’m sick and disappointed,” McClurg said. “I’m very disappointed for Adam and his family. He has done a terrific job leading our football program. He’s done nothing but bring honor to the school and has been a great role model for our kids. He’s one of the brightest young coaches in the state and a coach that has a bright future. I won’t be surprised if he surfaces at the college level.”

Winegarden said he has options to consider down the road, but his immediate concern is to finish the school year at Dalton. School ends in early June, but his contract runs through August.

In his prepared statement he said: “My family follows the values of faith, family, football; it is imperative that we are obedient to our value system. We have prayed a lot about our situation here and know that we are being led in a new direction. My family knows that there are great things in store for us as we move ahead and in Dalton as they move forward as well.”

Asked if he would remain in teaching and coaching, Winegarden said, “I’m in this business to coach.”

In 10 seasons as an assistant and head coach at Dalton, Winegarden helped the Cats to an 84-28 record. The Cats made six state playoff appearances in that span, which included reaching the Class 4A state championship game in 2001.

The Cats went 14-7 in their two seasons under Winegarden’s leadership. This past season, Dalton won the Sub-region 7A-4A title, lost to Hiram in the region championship game and lost to state-ranked Tucker in the first round of the state playoffs. In October, the Cats beat Region rival Rome to secure the school’s 50th consecutive winning season.

“Adam gets more out of our young men than just the Xs and Os of football,” McClurg said. “He’s been nothing but a pro in my time working with him. Besides Adam and his family, I’m probably the most disappointed person today.

“I know we’re losing a great coach and someone will be getting a great one.”

Winegarden’s resignation letter says his resignation takes effect June 4.

Staff writer Rachel Brown contributed to this story.