Several days after receiving his contract for the 2019-20 school year, Brian McNamee had second thoughts.
McNamee on Tuesday resigned as head coach of the Salem High School football team. Although he informed school administrators of his decision Tuesday, the Salem R-80 Board of Education is not expected to officially act on the resignation until their next scheduled meeting May 16.
Salem Athletic Director Phil Karr said the Tiger football head coaching position has been posted.
The resignation ends a 20-year run for McNamee in the Salem football program. After 14 years as an assistant he has served as Tiger head coach the past six seasons.
McNamee, age 52, plans to continue on in the Salem school system as a health teacher and weight training director at the high school as well as the Salem High track and field head coach.
“After thinking long and hard after receiving my contract I feel it’s time to step down and let the program go in a different direction and spend more time with my family,” McNamee said. “I’ve been at this for 20 years. It’s been a long career.
“The decision I made was probably the most difficult decision I’ve made in my teaching career. It’s been my life. Coach Schu (Bill Schuchardt), when you work with somebody like him you learn so much – talking and listening to him all those years. And when you become head coach it’s a whole other step. And when you make the decision to stop coaching football – whatever the level – it’s one of the hardest decisions to make.”
McNamee has dealt with health issues in recent years and missed the game against Cabool during the 2018 season.
“You get to a point in your career when you weigh things that are the most important – family and health,” he said.
Tuesday was a whirlwind day for McNamee. After meeting with Superintendent of Salem Schools John McColloch, high school principal Marty Anderson and Karr to inform them of his football resignation, he left with the track team to compete in a meet at Ava. McNamee said he planned on addressing the football team about his resignation later this week.
“We had the track meet and that was my priority Tuesday,” he said. “And I was playing catch-up all day (Wednesday).”
Salem was the first head coaching job for McNamee. A graduate of Mid-America Nazarene University in Olathe, Kan., McNamee has been teaching and coaching at Salem since 1999 and began serving on Missouri Football Coaches Association Hall-of-Famer Schuchardt’s varsity football staff in 2006.
McNamee had the unenviable task of replacing a Salem legend – Schuchardt – as Tiger head coach.
During Schuchardt’s 32-year run as Salem head coach the Tigers finished with a 255-91 record, won 14 SCA championships and 16 district titles, made five state playoff semifinal berths and appeared in two Show-Me Bowl state championship games.
McNamee had a 31-35 overall record as Salem head coach, including a 17-25 SCA mark.
The highlight of his head coaching tenure came in 2017 when the Tigers finished 8-4 overall, was second in the league race at 5-2 and made it to the district tournament finals before losing to Park Hills Central. Salem also made the district finals in 2015, losing a 30-26 heartbreaker to SCA rival Mountain Grove to finish the campaign 6-6.
With an inexperienced team saddled with many key injuries, 2018 was McNamee’s toughest season as the Tigers lost their last four games and six of their final seven to finish with a 3-7 overall record and 2-5 league mark. Three of those losses were by a combined seven points.
“I will still follow the team closely,” he said. “I’m going to continue to do everything I can to boost the morale of this team and work with them in the weight room. My time in Salem will always be one of the most special of my life. Salem has been my home and has been the driving force that keeps you going.
“I’ve coached a lot of special players here. The last couple of days I have gotten a lot of texts and messages from (current and former players). That means a lot.”
Karr spent several years with McNamee on Schuchardt’s football staff and has much respect for what he’s brought to the program.
“Coach Mac is one of those coaches who does a lot for kids behind the scenes, things the average individual wouldn’t notice,” Karr said. “He has done a great job helping monitor kids in academics and discipline. And he’s tried to help a lot of kids get opportunities in football after high school.
“He worked hard and was very committed to football. I’ve worked countless hours with him breaking down game film. Without question he loves the game. I know it wasn’t easy for him to give it up.”
Now Karr has three head coaches to replace at the high school level – football, boys’ basketball and volleyball. Amanda Walker resigned the volleyball position and last week Conrad Prugh resigned as Tiger boys’ basketball head coach to become an assistant principal at the high school.
The late resignations of the basketball and football positions puts Salem in a tight spot as far as hiring replacements, as most teaching positions are already filled.
“The problem we will run into is we only have a couple of math teaching openings and we’ve got volleyball, basketball and football coaching positions to think about and it’s almost May,” Karr said. “That makes it tough. We’re limited in what we can do. We’ll give a close look at any in-house candidates who are interested.”
