Post by olinecoach61 on Aug 16, 2006 11:29:28 GMT -6
Thought it might be of interest to some of us...
By WILLIAM SCHUBERT, Courant Staff Writer
Jack Cochran resigned as football coach at New London High School at a meeting Tuesday with Superintendent of Schools Christopher Clouet.
The meeting came in the wake of Cochran's arrest Saturday, when he allegedly punched Fitch-Groton football coach Jim Buonocore Jr. in the mouth at a weightlifting event in East Lyme. Cochran was charged with breach of peace and released on a written promise to appear in New London Superior Court Thursday.
Cochran met with Clouet, a teacher's union representative and another school administrator for about two hours.
All coaching positions at New London are one-year appointments. Cochran can apply for the job again in 2007.
"I just made a decision in lieu of what happened the other day and other incidents in the past couple years that it would be best for me to take some time off," Cochran said. "I decided right now it was really the best thing for me to do."
No replacement was named.
Cochran, 40, is one of the most successful high school football coaches in the state, but his career has been clouded by his conduct on and off the field.
He became the coach at New London last year after leading highly successful programs at Bloomfield and New Britain, where relations with administrators grew increasingly strained as his tenure progressed. Cochran will keep his job as a physical education teacher in the New London school system but will have no contract with the high school football program.
"He expressed some remorse and I respect him for handling it the way he did," Clouet said. "I think he wants to reflect on some of the issues that have come up and on some of the judgment calls he made. Based on his own reflection of some of his actions, he might be able to make some changes to his style.
"It's a very difficult situation. He flew too close to the sun a few too many times. He and I both agreed to a recipe for some changes. The main issue was the violence that erupted at the weightlifting tournament. In school districts these days, we try to impress upon students that violence is not the answer."
Jim Buonocore Sr., father of the Fitch coach, was Cochran's coach when he played for New London in the early 1980s.
Clouet said he thought Cochran could turn the whole ordeal into a positive experience.
"He's not a demon; he's often demonized by people who don't like him," Clouet said. "He's a very emotional and intense person who cares about football and cares about working with young people. I expect he would want to use the time off from coaching to do the reflecting so he could return to coaching, which I think he will."
Cochran has a career record of 137-22-2, winning four Class S championships at Bloomfield and three Class LL titles at New Britain. In his first season at New London, the Whalers were 10-2 and reached the Class S final, losing to Hyde-New Haven, 31-13. It was their first appearance in a state title game since 1992.
"All I can say is that right now I don't have any interest in any other football coaching jobs," Cochran said. "It won't be easy for me to be away from the game. For 20 years, football has been my life. It's tough to think about not doing it."
The state's new so-called "Cochran Rule," passed in April by the CIAC, mandates a one-game suspension for any coach whose team wins a game by 50 points or more. Cochran's name is often associated with the new legislation because his teams have regularly won by lopsided scores, including four victories by 50-plus points last season. Cochran met the new rule with defiance, saying he anticipated getting suspended.
By WILLIAM SCHUBERT, Courant Staff Writer
Jack Cochran resigned as football coach at New London High School at a meeting Tuesday with Superintendent of Schools Christopher Clouet.
The meeting came in the wake of Cochran's arrest Saturday, when he allegedly punched Fitch-Groton football coach Jim Buonocore Jr. in the mouth at a weightlifting event in East Lyme. Cochran was charged with breach of peace and released on a written promise to appear in New London Superior Court Thursday.
Cochran met with Clouet, a teacher's union representative and another school administrator for about two hours.
All coaching positions at New London are one-year appointments. Cochran can apply for the job again in 2007.
"I just made a decision in lieu of what happened the other day and other incidents in the past couple years that it would be best for me to take some time off," Cochran said. "I decided right now it was really the best thing for me to do."
No replacement was named.
Cochran, 40, is one of the most successful high school football coaches in the state, but his career has been clouded by his conduct on and off the field.
He became the coach at New London last year after leading highly successful programs at Bloomfield and New Britain, where relations with administrators grew increasingly strained as his tenure progressed. Cochran will keep his job as a physical education teacher in the New London school system but will have no contract with the high school football program.
"He expressed some remorse and I respect him for handling it the way he did," Clouet said. "I think he wants to reflect on some of the issues that have come up and on some of the judgment calls he made. Based on his own reflection of some of his actions, he might be able to make some changes to his style.
"It's a very difficult situation. He flew too close to the sun a few too many times. He and I both agreed to a recipe for some changes. The main issue was the violence that erupted at the weightlifting tournament. In school districts these days, we try to impress upon students that violence is not the answer."
Jim Buonocore Sr., father of the Fitch coach, was Cochran's coach when he played for New London in the early 1980s.
Clouet said he thought Cochran could turn the whole ordeal into a positive experience.
"He's not a demon; he's often demonized by people who don't like him," Clouet said. "He's a very emotional and intense person who cares about football and cares about working with young people. I expect he would want to use the time off from coaching to do the reflecting so he could return to coaching, which I think he will."
Cochran has a career record of 137-22-2, winning four Class S championships at Bloomfield and three Class LL titles at New Britain. In his first season at New London, the Whalers were 10-2 and reached the Class S final, losing to Hyde-New Haven, 31-13. It was their first appearance in a state title game since 1992.
"All I can say is that right now I don't have any interest in any other football coaching jobs," Cochran said. "It won't be easy for me to be away from the game. For 20 years, football has been my life. It's tough to think about not doing it."
The state's new so-called "Cochran Rule," passed in April by the CIAC, mandates a one-game suspension for any coach whose team wins a game by 50 points or more. Cochran's name is often associated with the new legislation because his teams have regularly won by lopsided scores, including four victories by 50-plus points last season. Cochran met the new rule with defiance, saying he anticipated getting suspended.
