Norwalk High School's new head football coach, Sean Ireland, tosses the ball around during a press conference Friday, Jan. 28, 2011 at the school.
Norwalk has named assistant coach and offensive coordinator Sean Ireland as its next head football coach.
Ireland is a 1996 graduate of Norwalk and currently a physical education teacher at the school. He takes over for Pete Tucci who resigned in November after 13 seasons a 53-72 record.
“Excited is not the word. Let’s start the season tomorrow,” Ireland said. “We open up with Danbury–let’s play them this Friday night. Let’s get going here. I just can’t wait to get these kids together and just get the ball rolling.”
Here’s the full story from the Norwalk Citizen, which covered the event this afternoon.
Not to knock Ireland, I don’t know the guy, but it seems like all the schols that hire from within the staff of a coach with a previously losing tenure, tend not to improve. Danbury did this and so did a couple of other schools in the area. Look at McMahon, sure Albano was a Norwalk kid, but he was on someone elses staff and made a name for himself. If the guy is working under a coach that isn’t very successful, chances are he as an assistant will not be either.
When Masuk needed a new football coach back in 1997 they didn’t hire from within. Instead they hired John Murphy, a young offensive guru from Newtown. How about Staples in 1993 when they brought in Marce Petroccio? Nope, they went outside of previously losing staffs and hired coaches from more successful programs.
Look, if the head coach stepping down has had a winning run at the program, then fine, hire from within, but not when the previous head coach hasn’t. It seems like a number of schools in the FCIAC like Norwalk, Danbury, Westhill, and Stamford. Lets get one thing straight, there are a lot of top flight assistant coaches that would be great fits for a number of these jobs, but they aren’t getting oppurtunities.
My advice to Ireland…Lift, run, and condition before you go out and play somebody. Then again, Danbury doesn’t lift or run either, so they might have a shot. NICE TIE!