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Coaching Vacancies

Jan 6, 2005
180
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16
Milford and Seaford are open, will there be any other jobs come open? Anyone have any insight on those two positions?
This post was edited on 12/3 8:35 AM by First.Place
 
From what I have heard Milford plans to post the position and conduct a search, they have nobody in mind.
 
Yo Ikey, do you have any thoughts on the Milford program and Coach MT that you would care to share with the board?

I had a chance to observe Coach MT in 2003, 04, 05, 06, 07, 10, 11, 12, 13, I was always left with a thought that he was doing a good job with kids.
 
Originally posted by cavaliercharlie:
Yo Ikey, do you have any thoughts on the Milford program and Coach MT that you would care to share with the board?

I had a chance to observe Coach MT in 2003, 04, 05, 06, 07, 10, 11, 12, 13, I was always left with a thought that he was doing a good job with kids.
Both of my sons played for Mike Tkach and I am glad they did. Make no mistake about it, I often questioned his coaching tactics and decisions, but at the end of the day I knew where his heart was, I know he was about developing young men. Some people may not remember, but Milford used to act like a bunch of thugs. While there have been occasional acts of poor sportsmanship, as there are on any team. Tkach never accepted it and always held the student as accountable as best he could, as you know politics can play a huge part with regards to certain issues.

I also know Mike Tkach cares about his students and has always been there for them. I have listened to him address his team on the field after the game many times. While most of the time it was about the game, the good and the bad of it, once a year it was a about a bit more. That would be the homecoming game. After talking about the game he would remind the players how they were to conduct themselves at the dance, He explained that they are gentlemen first and were expected to act as such. He reminded them that they represent Milford and how they act reflects upon everybody. On the day of prom, every player got a text reminding of how they should conduct themselves as well.

I know another thing about Mike Tkach, I know that he is always there for any student past or present. It doesn't matter if you quit the team in a fit of rage or were the best player he ever coached or were never on the team at all.

I can't begin to tell you how painful the last few seasons were for him, it crushed him that the team didn't do well. I know it is killing him to leave, but the time has come.

With regards to the program, it's kind of difficult to recruit good coaches and teachers when a school just 20 miles away can pay $14,000 a year more, half of that is in coaching salary Tkach's rate of pay for coaching was $2,200 last season, think about how much that would be per hour if you sat down and did the math. It also hurts that Milford gets hit by the Tech schools in both Kent and Sussex County. Milford is up against it financially and this could prove to be a very interesting hire.
 
Well said, my friend.

I'd like to add that Milford went on a little run there with good football and baseball teams, but overall, outside of wrestling, it has traditionally not done well in boys' sports. It's easy to forget that before Tkach took over, Milford's football program was a punching bag that had 15 straight losing seasons before his 2003 team broke the streak. And a lot of those losing seasons weren't just bad luck, it was bad football.

These last four seasons have been rough, no doubt about it. If the school board thinks it's time for a coaching change, that's fine. Personally, I would have liked to see Tkach get a chance to coach up some of these young guys Milford has, but it's not my say.
 
Also, I know of one job opening for sure but have been asked to hold off on reporting it until the person makes it official. And then there are two more rumored vacancies for pretty big time programs as well.
 
Count I think I know one of those that you're referring to and I think they have a pretty solid choice on who the new coach will be. I have to say knowing the area of the state you deal with has me really intrigued as to the others and putting two and two together I have some ideas. Can't wait for the reveal!
 
It took a lot of people to make this happen, starting with the players. The big guy leading the cheer is then Coach Carter, now Dr. Carter, principal of Milford. Imagine having been crapped on for so long and then getting to a moment like this. I know Mike Tkach wasn't the only person that made it happen, but it never would have happened without him.

Del State 2008
This post was edited on 12/3 10:27 PM by Ikeyfbst01
 
Yeah, the IR one was the one I was certain of. The other two are Henlopen North teams, all rumors. But yes, pretty good idea who the leading candidate is for one of those jobs.
 
Ikey, I might be reading your post wrong but are you saying a school in DE pays the salary of $14k just to the HC? Or for total football staff?

Is the Milford area growing or is population stagnant? Seems just a bit to far from major areas for people to commute to work from. How bout a young guy who wants to have a shot as an HC? From your financial description is doesn't seem like a play for an older established OC/DC

Cheers,

Busch
 
Busch

The example I was given was with the Cape district. It is my understanding that the football HC position pays about 7k a year. If that person also has a teaching position at the school, the total compensation difference between the Milford district and Cape totals about 14k.

This is just my opinion, but I believe the population has been fairly stagnant over the last 7 years or so. There have been a few small developments going up, but nothing to rival that of the Smyrna area or the beaches. There will be a proposal for a new high school (literally in my back yard) funding increases for operations in the relatively near future. There is also a brand new hospital going up as well. These two key factors could lead to population growth in the community.

As the salary is presently set I believe that there are two types of caches that would be fits for the position as presently constituted. One would be the younger type as you described, who while they may be great at the job, you have to wonder how long they would stick around given the compensation situation. The other would be someone from the outside who would be looking to move to the Milford area for retirement and is a good fit for the program. It's a very tricky situation and I don't know that there are any good long term answers.
This post was edited on 12/4 7:16 PM by Ikeyfbst01
 
Ikey,

Good stuff. I took a gander at both Cape and Milford pages not that the Cape job is open. Let's say a younger guy applies for the job. By younger I mean early 30's. Most likely if you are a teacher of that age you have a masters degree and with experience your making just under 57k throw in coaching your almost at 60k. Cost of living in Milford isn't awful and sure beats 20 miles further south. Is there any extra stipends for weight room manager in the off season? Anything to throw the right guy a proverbial bone in good faith?

A retiree is another option but might not be ideal for longevity. Established, winning coach find some funds and pay him 6-8k and throw in a membership at Shawnee.

Cheers,

Busch
 
The salary is going to be an issue. I don't know about a membership at Shawnee, but I do have a pool table and full fridge at Casa de Ikey. The issue is a 20 minute commute that you could make to another school from Milford. You can live here in Milford or just to the south of it and make much more money with the same standard of living. The same is true with the districts to the north as well. There is no extra money for weight room and such, while if they are a trainer they could make some extra money working contests at the school. Making matters worse, the athletic budget got cut in half this year, you can just imagine what assistants are making. The board has some very tough choices to make.
 
Originally posted by cavaliercharlie:
Curious ...What was it that attracted the last coach?
Tkach was an assistant trainer with the Atlanta Hawks at the time and was just beginning to start his family. He and his wife came to the determination that they wanted a small town life to raise their children in. Milford fit the bill. He got a teaching position and was am assistant coach his first year. The next year he was named the head coach. I don't know if he was promised the HC position or not in advance of his move here.
 
I wouldn't call Milford's population stagnant. It's definitely a growing town and will be over 10,000 people the next census.
 
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