Greenbrier coach job posted online

With Greenbrier athletic director and football coach Mickey Derrick retiring after the 2005-06 school year, the search for a new coach officially began Jan. 23.

That's when Greenbrier Principal Marjorie Hamilton posted the job on the Board of Education's Web site. The ad, calling for a head football coach who also is a certified teacher, does not include any mention of the athletic director vacancy.

"Right now, I'm only advertising for the head football coach," Hamilton said. "I'm not sure whether I'll have the head football coach as athletic director, particularly if he's new to this building because he's going to have his hands full figuring out the logistics of everything that involves the athletic program."

Enrollment at Greenbrier High School is projected to surpass the 2,000 mark for the first time next school year. The extra numbers won't immediately change the sports program, but could bring change in later years.

"It won't affect our classification for next school year," Derrick said. "It goes on a two-year cycle, and we'll look at the numbers the next time it comes around."

Despite the growth potential, Hamilton didn't completely shut out the idea of keeping the athletic director and football coaching positions together. Both Lakeside and Harlem high schools have had the football coach and athletic director positions combined into one for years.

Hamilton said a look down the road at Evans High School shows a successful athletic program with a separate athletic director and football coach.

"Gail Connor has done it for years at Evans, and she's been an excellent athletic director," Hamilton said. "I can see some real merit in not having the football coach who's running the largest, most demanding part of the athletic program also being the athletic director."

Hamilton said the ad will remain posted on the Web site for two weeks before a committee will begin the process of making a hiring decision.