Fired VHS coach says resignation had been written

OCALA - Former Vanguard High School football coach Greg Bigham wanted a chance to set the record straight after being dismissed from his post last week.

The 44-year-old coach says he had his resignation letter ready when VHS principal Rick Lankford decided to fire him after a series of meetings yielded negative results.

Bigham says it all started with the poor facilities he had to endure at Vanguard and ended when he wasn't provided with the support Lankford promised when he signed on in February.

The Knights are currently 0-4, but both Bigham and Lankford seem to agree it wasn't solely the record that sealed his fate.

"The program is a mess," Bigham said. "But I knew that coming in.

"What I didn't expect was the lack of support."

Lankford conceded that Bigham was faced with additional challenges with Vanguard under construction and the sinkhole at Booster Stadium that has stripped the Knights of any true home games in 2008.

"He had some added obstacles that wasn't typical of a coach," Lankford said. "I didn't think he responded to those challenges."

Bigham said he "heavily considered" leaving Vanguard after spring practice ended, but decided to stick it out through the season with just one certified teacher on staff and a host of volunteer coaches.

In addition, Bigham says he was forced to teach his health classes, which included freshman and sophomore girls, in a "stinking fieldhouse with no air conditioning and no tables."

He said the fieldhouse wasn't equipped with a fire alarm or an intercom system and he felt it was unsafe for students.

And he claims it was his complaining about conditions that rubbed Lankford the wrong way.

"I went to Rick several times and he seemed to be supportive - in word," Bigham said. "But I think it was a combination of my complaints about the facilities and outside influences that got to Rick."

According to the coach, Lankford called him in for a Tuesday meeting last week and was told "things didn't look good."

A second meeting Thursday had Lankford and Bigham both reaching for the eject button.

"Tuesday he asked me if I wanted to resign" Bigham said. "Then on Thursday he said he was going in another direction.

"I think he wanted to say he fired me to try to save face. They didn't want another coach leaving them."

Lankford stuck to his initial comments he made on Friday when the principal announced the change to the football team.

"I'm not going to get into particulars or blame, but we disagree on some points," Lankford said. "I'm sorry he didn't feel like he was supported here. I just felt like we needed to go in another direction for the good of the program."

Last year's coach, Will Holley, left after one season at VHS yielded a 2-8 record.

Bigham says it will take some work to get Vanguard back on the right track. The last winning season for the Knights came in 2002, when Vanguard went 6-5 under then-head coach Phillip Yancey.

"I've sensed that people still think of Vanguard like those teams back in the '90s," Bigham said. If they're not careful, they'll become Lake Weir. Old Lake Weir.

"It's going to be tough to turn around. They will need the full support of the administration. I wish them the best."

In the meantime, Lankford has filled the vacated post with assistant principal Scott Borth. Borth will take over as interim head coach at today's practice.

Lankford said Borth will inherit the entire coaching staff left behind by Bigham, and could potentially pick up some extra help from within the school.

"(Borth) is going to head up the rest of the year," said Lankford, who plans to find a permanent replacement after the season. "And we'll continue to look for additional help.

"We want the best possible situation for the kids."

Meanwhile, Bigham is planning to return home to Arkansas, where his son, Justin, will get a chance to finish his final prep football season.

"I feel like I moved my family here and made sacrifices," Bigham said. "I didn't see that same commitment from the school.

"The kids just don't feel like they're important. Between the facilities and the (sinkhole) at Booster, it's just one thing after another out there."

Vanguard returns to the football Friday night when the Knights will "host" district rival Leesburg at Forest High School.