Changes In Brick

Following a coaching legend is never easy. Just ask Phil Bengston, Gene Bartow, Ray Perkins, Earl Bruce and Gary Moeller. They are certainly not the household names of the guys they replaced….Lombardi, Wooden, Bryant, Woody and Bo. Everyone knew the day would come when somebody would be thrown into that position at Brick Township High School when football coach Warren Wolf retired and it came following the 2008 season, his 51st with the Green Dragons. I and just about everyone else assumed the Board of Education would assure themselves a smooth transition by picking someone with ties to school and program. By now you know they did not, instead selecting Pat Dowling who had an extensive coaching resume and who was coming off his first season at Allentown.

Dowling’s appointment over two other finalists who played and coached at Brick
was criticized by many, including yours truly. It had nothing to do with his credentials but rather was simply the wrong thing to do for all involved. However not even I could have predicted it would cause the uproar that it did and two years
after he landed the coaching job the Dowling Era has come to an end. Thursday District Athletic Director Bill Bruno informed him he would not return as coach and the school would move in a different direction.

Back to what I said in the opening….following a coaching legend is never easy. However in this case it was made more difficult because the coach being replaced not only didn’t endorse the choice but fought it. Wolf was a vocal critic and questioned publically why the school board did not give the job to a “Brick boy.” He even went as far to rescind his retirement which the board did not accept and after a year away from football returned to coach at Lakewood High School in 2010. In between he ran and was elected to the same Board of Education he had fought on the issue.

As for Dowling….he never had a chance although critics will tell you he at times was his own worst enemy. The Green Dragons posted identical 4-6 records in his two seasons and the move made Thursday was not surprising. He was always very cooperative with me and I only hope he can get past what was a difficult time for him and his family. There will be plenty of names floated out there as to the next coach, starting with the two other finalists from 2009…Tim Osborn and Len Zdanowicz. Osborn is happy as the head coach at Jackson Liberty where Zdanowicz was an assistant last year and I would think a prime candidate. He’s a “Brick boy” who might be able to heal old wounds and get the program headed in the right direction. One thing is for sure…the next guy will have an easier road to travel than Pat Dowling.