McKinley's coaching search — a game of political football

[David Stevenson]

http://fridaynightohio.com/news/mckinle ... l-football

McKinley's coaching search — a game of political football

The article speaks on itself and in between the lines, can you do the math? 2 plus 2 sure as hell doesn't answer 4 here.

[David Stevenson]

http://www.cantonrep.com/sports/x564864 ... he-old-one

McKinley’s new football coach won’t be the old one

[nealcain]

Dee Stokes Davis is a meticulous, level-headed administrator. I know some of those people on the committee and they are level headed as well.

Regardless of the folks in support of Johnson and those who are against Johnson, the final recommendation comes from the principal. she takes their input to make her recommendation(s).

Todd Porter isn't helping with his assumptions on this process. From his perceptive, his rationales are sound, unfortunately, he doesn't know anymore than any of us.

Patience is what is needed now, not unnecessary speculation

I don't know what's going to happen, but I do know for a fact that Dee will not have her committee run like a circus or get out of hand.

Give time for the process to play itself out. Personally I think that there will be more issues AFTER the recommendations are made.

[CATS44]

With all due respect...

When all the acts in the circus are still included on the committee, the committee is a circus, only with a different name.

The emails are evidence enough that all three rings are still operative. Stokes-Davis is the Ringmaster.

[David Stevenson]

Stokes-Davis is the Ringmaster.

Beyond more than any of us will know. Or will we?

[Dat Dude]

Dee Stokes Davis is a meticulous, level-headed administrator. I know some of those people on the committee and they are level headed as well.

Regardless of the folks in support of Johnson and those who are against Johnson, the final recommendation comes from the principal. she takes their input to make her recommendation(s).

Todd Porter isn't helping with his assumptions on this process. From his perceptive, his rationales are sound, unfortunately, he doesn't know anymore than any of us.

Patience is what is needed now, not unnecessary speculation

I don't know what's going to happen, but I do know for a fact that Dee will not have her committee run like a circus or get out of hand.

Give time for the process to play itself out. Personally I think that there will be more issues AFTER the recommendations are made.

Are you serious? Have you spent a minute or walked a step in McK High School? This lady is in charge of this school and day by day it is falling apart. If it wern't for the fact that some people were afraid of loosing there jobs in this jacked up school district they would speak up. The inmates run the asylum.... is all I have to say. The administration is unfair and inconsistant! Not all of them, just a few. JD, MVA, and JZ are in good standing in my eyes, but SS and DSD are beyond reality of what is really going on in this building, town, county, country and world.

The things that have been done to RJ and his staff are not acts of humanity. Let's flip the script for a minute and look at all the backwards notions in today's society. I was watching the slam dunk contest tonight and saw Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs stand up raise his fist and say, "The revalution will be televised, Black Power!!!"

Really????? What if the shoe was on the other foot and a white man stood up raised his hand and said, "The revalution will be televised, White Power!!!" Could you imagine the headlines? But no, we will sweep this under the table like it never hapened. Just like many want to sweep the reverse racism against RJ under the table.

You can believe what you want or agree with what you want. But, the truth remains the same and the will all come out in the end. All the money given to McK will diminsh, and all these DSD supporters won't do a thing financially to put this program back to the prosperity that it once was at for such a long time.

I love McK and it will always hold a spot in my heart, but we all have good spots and bad spots in our heart and the tarnish that has been done here to the black and red is undeniable. I will be the first to eat crow if this all works out in the end. This is the first, but not the last you will hear from me. For I know if things are left in the hands of DSD they will fall apart just like the guts of McK High School is falling apart under her watch.

And believe me when I say the best is yet to come. If anyone doubts what I say or comes after me or my post will be proven wrong. And trust me TP may be oppinonated, but he knows more facts than most of you know.

[browns32]

With all due respect...

When all the acts in the circus are still included on the committee, the committee is a circus, only with a different name.

The emails are evidence enough that all three rings are still operative. Stokes-Davis is the Ringmaster.

cats44 is very correct here. this has been true since day 1.

i guess for you - the bright spot is that you are the lone power left standing in stark - mck destroyed themselves from within.

[browns32]

The things that have been done to RJ and his staff are not acts of humanity. Let's flip the script for a minute and look at all the backwards notions in today's society. I was watching the slam dunk contest tonight and saw Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs stand up raise his fist and say, "The revalution will be televised, Black Power!!!"

its a one way street where one can do whatever it wants - and the other is expected to sit in fear - that is the absolute truth.

Really????? What if the shoe was on the other foot and a white man stood up raised his hand and said, "The revalution will be televised, White Power!!!" Could you imagine the headlines? But no, we will sweep this under the table like it never hapened. Just like many want to sweep the reverse racism against RJ under the table.

again - one side has the right to destroy the other with impunity - while the other is expected to sit there and take it. there is no other way to analyze this. like croatia in 91' - this is meant to simply force one group of people completely out of the equation. lets put it this way - some people they don't won't to exist at all - and that has been made evident by the actions of some - as general as i can put it.

I love McK and it will always hold a spot in my heart, but we all have good spots and bad spots in our heart and the tarnish that has been done here to the black and red is undeniable.

according to the group that has taken control - whether you love mck or not does not matter - they only want a faction of people to be able to support mck. the undesirables they just want to go away - plain and simple - because in their eyes they don't count.

[goodguy]

Please show me one person on commitee that knows how to run a high school program. How are they qualified to make a decision on who should be next Mckinley coach.

[Raymo]

Stokes-Davis is the Ringmaster.

Beyond more than any of us will know. Or will we?

Some know now,everyone will know soon...some of it is very hard to believe what is happening.

[CATS44]

Browns32: Over here to the west, weve been shooting ourselves in body parts for years. First we started with the foot, and we have aimed steadily higher since.

The sad fact is that both Massillon and McKinley have ceded their power to the suburban schools with years and years of interference from within from parties that have agendas that have nothing to do with football.

This has happened due to a lack of a strong and respected voice in either community, a selfless voice with enough power to withstand those with personal agendas. That kind of voice is never heard in the media. It speaks very powerfully behind the scenes. Those voices all died off, and nobody was able to fill the void in either community.

In Massillon it was, among a few others, Ducky Schroeder. In Canton, which I am not as familiar with, my guess it was a guy like Dick Kempthorn.

These kind of people did whatever they could to help their respective programs excell. That was their singular goal.

The folks in the decision making process at McKinley may want the Bulldog program to excell, but ONLY IF it is done their way....with THEIR people in control. Their real goal is to control, and if excellence follows, fine.

If not, so be it, as long as they hold the reins.

Believe me, this situation in Canton does not bring joy to the knowledgeable an thoughtful fans in Massillon. The two programs are dependent upon each other to maintain their respective auras. We are joined at the hip. Without excellency in each program, the rivalry becomes second class. You guys dont want to beat us because the Tigers suck. You want to beat us because the Bulldogs beat the BEST we have to offer. You want to break our hearts when we are on a roll. And the same applies in reverse.

Without that attitude, Massillon-McKinley becomes Indiana-Purdue, and not OSU-Michigan.

Times have passed us by, but not because of anything that has happened outside of our respective communities. Times have passed us by because we have wanted them to. Both programs desire beyond any measure of sanity to remain in the past. The mantra in both programs is 'this is how we have always done it, and it worked'.

We may be the only two programs in all of football who still want to switch coaches every three or four years. If we dont win enough instantly, we want to switch coaches. If we win enough, but we dont score a lot of points we want to switch coaches. If we win and score enough points, but we dont pass enough....or we dont run enough...(it doesnt matter which)...we want to switch coaches. If we win and we score enough points and we run the offensive flavor of the day, but we pass the coach on the street and he doesnt kiss our hand, we want to change coaches.

You think you have it bad?

Years ago Massillon fired Mike Currence for no reason at all. He won, he scored enough points, his defenses were awesome, and he tatooed you guys regularly. What more could anyone in Massillon ask?

Nobody would take the job. A few of us contacted a coach who shall remian nameless. He had won four state titles. His offense was among the two or three highest scoring in the state. His personality was a carbon copy of Bob Commings, who is still beloved in Massillon. We begged him to apply. His answer?

"You just fired Currence. He beat McKinley. He gets to the playoffs. He has been in three state title games, two with a program that has almost the smallest enrollment in D1. You people are nuts."

Years later Massillon pushed Rick Shepas out. Two of us went back to that coach. He finally agreed to apply. Under pressure the search committee agreed to interview him, because there was no other candidate with credentials anywhere close. His interview was perfunctory. It was a waste of everybodys time. The committee had made its decision before Shepas was gone.

[CATS44]

One additional thing.

There is debate about whether the money will dry up. Some insist that those who have financially supported the Bulldog program will continue to do so once things calm down. Maybe, maybe not.

But in Massillon, after several similar brouhahas, a lot of the money dried up. We even had to take up a collection to buy uniforms.

[MADDOG20]

Please allow me to set the record straight regarding the slanderous false statement you mischievously contributed to Sean Puffy Daddy Combs. During the slam dunk contest, Mr. Combs was asked on the court by a sportscaster "what is your all time favorite basketball movie." Mr. Combs replied "White men can't jump". Immediately, Houston Rockets player Chase Budinger (who is white) ran onto the court and said, I'am going to prove that movie wrong and perfomed a dunk over Mr. Combs.

Furtermore, the only artist or musical group to use the phase you falsely accused Mr. Combs was the "The Last Poets", a muscial group in the late 1960's.

I find myself questioning your motives behind your misrepresentation of what actually occured at the slam dunk contest. Also, I am troubled that "just a fan", who diligently research every post, that disagree with her view, in a effort to put a spin on it, failed to research this. Her failure to correct this falsehood can be misinterpeted that she condone this false racially charged allegations.

[Raymo]

Please show me one person on commitee that knows how to run a high school program. How are they qualified to make a decision on who should be next Mckinley coach.

There is probably only one person that could in that group.

[BIGTDOG91]

Please allow me to set the record straight regarding the slanderous false statement you mischievously contributed to Sean Puffy Daddy Combs. During the slam dunk contest, Mr. Combs was asked on the court by a sportscaster "what is your all time favorite basketball movie." Mr. Combs replied "White men can't jump". Immediately, Houston Rockets player Chase Budinger (who is white) ran onto the court and said, I'am going to prove that movie wrong and perfomed a dunk over Mr. Combs.

Furtermore, the only artist or musical group to use the phase you falsely accused Mr. Combs was the "The Last Poets", a muscial group in the late 1960's.

I find myself questioning your motives behind your misrepresentation of what actually occured at the slam dunk contest. Also, I am troubled that "just a fan", who diligently research every post, that disagree with her view, in a effort to put a spin on it, failed to research this. Her failure to correct this falsehood can be misinterpeted that she condone this false racially charged allegations.

I disagree maybe she hasn't read this yet. Also it really isn't her place to do as you say, please dont try to make her out to be something she isn't a racist, and this I can guarantee she is not.

[just a fan]

Dee Stokes Davis is a meticulous, level-headed administrator. I know some of those people on the committee and they are level headed as well. Regardless of the folks in support of Johnson and those who are against Johnson, the final recommendation comes from the principal. she takes their input to make her recommendation(s).

Todd Porter isn't helping with his assumptions on this process. From his perceptive, his rationales are sound, unfortunately, he doesn't know anymore than any of us.

Patience is what is needed now, not unnecessary speculation I don't know what's going to happen, but I do know for a fact that Dee will not have her committee run like a circus or get out of hand. Give time for the process to play itself out. Personally I think that there will be more issues AFTER the recommendations are made.

I agree that there are some level-headed individuals on the committee. But, there clearly aren't nearly enough because if there were, there wouldn't be a need for two mediators.

The final recommendation does not come from Stokes-Davis....it comes from the Superintendent. Unfortunately, and where the whole process falls apart, the Superintendent will only be interviewing the final candidates that the hiring committee selects....he should be involved in the full process, including identifying candidates for each round of interviews.

Todd Porter does know more than we do because he's received all the public records related to this situation, and we haven't....not, however, because we haven't tried.

Patience is what we've had for nearly 20 years. Circumstances surrounding the program have progressively gotten worse. A little more patience and the program will be bankrupt! And, I'm not just speaking financially.

Finally, I agree.....there will likely be a lot more issues after the recommendations are made. People have a tendency to react to situations, but being proactive is far more effective.

[mckgrad]

I know for a fact that a lot of people who have giving a lot of money to McKinley sports over the years are done. We will not give money any more and it will not be coming back. Period.

[Dat Dude]

Please allow me to set the record straight regarding the slanderous false statement you mischievously contributed to Sean Puffy Daddy Combs. During the slam dunk contest, Mr. Combs was asked on the court by a sportscaster "what is your all time favorite basketball movie." Mr. Combs replied "White men can't jump". Immediately, Houston Rockets player Chase Budinger (who is white) ran onto the court and said, I'am going to prove that movie wrong and perfomed a dunk over Mr. Combs.

Furtermore, the only artist or musical group to use the phase you falsely accused Mr. Combs was the "The Last Poets", a muscial group in the late 1960's.

I find myself questioning your motives behind your misrepresentation of what actually occured at the slam dunk contest. Also, I am troubled that "just a fan", who diligently research every post, that disagree with her view, in a effort to put a spin on it, failed to research this. Her failure to correct this falsehood can be misinterpeted that she condone this false racially charged allegations.

No, before he said what he said about his favorite basketball movie. Kenny Smith asked him about his new television network. He stood up and said, "the revelution will be televised", raised his hand and said, "Black Power". Trust me I DVRed it and rewound it twice because I could not believe what I heard.

So before you tell people that they are posting false statements check for yourself. It is so crazy that it happened to me that you don't even want to believe it. And trust me it happened, ask around. And you said it best when you said a musical group were the last to say that in the 60's. To me it looks like we are right back in the 60's.

Check it out and I will be expecting you to eat a large plate of crow and a slice of humble pie.

I Don't want to ruffle your feathers, just want to make some people wake up!

[nealcain]

Dee Stokes Davis is a meticulous, level-headed administrator. I know some of those people on the committee and they are level headed as well.

Regardless of the folks in support of Johnson and those who are against Johnson, the final recommendation comes from the principal. she takes their input to make her recommendation(s).

Todd Porter isn't helping with his assumptions on this process. From his perceptive, his rationales are sound, unfortunately, he doesn't know anymore than any of us.

Patience is what is needed now, not unnecessary speculation

I don't know what's going to happen, but I do know for a fact that Dee will not have her committee run like a circus or get out of hand.

Give time for the process to play itself out. Personally I think that there will be more issues AFTER the recommendations are made.

Are you serious? Have you spent a minute or walked a step in McK High School? This lady is in charge of this school and day by day it is falling apart. If it weren't for the fact that some people were afraid of loosing there jobs in this jacked up school district they would speak up. The inmates run the asylum.... is all I have to say. The administration is unfair and inconsistant! Not all of them, just a few. JD, MVA, and JZ are in good standing in my eyes, but SS and DSD are beyond reality of what is really going on in this building, town, county, country and world.

As a matter of fact, I have walked thru McKinley School. I have since the days of Vern Russell(who hired me)
there are things that go on at that school that I don't agree with, but that's not the point of this thread. I can honestly say that I know more than most of you do...including Todd Porter,...and I still don't know anymore than most of you, but I do know enough that Dee is Fair.

you forget that she originally recommended him to the superintendent in the first place. It's her recommendation, with the assistance of the committee, that goes to the superintendent who makes the final decision.

The things that have been done to RJ and his staff are not acts of humanity. Let's flip the script for a minute and look at all the backwards notions in today's society. I was watching the slam dunk contest tonight and saw Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs stand up raise his fist and say, "The revalution will be televised, Black Power!!!"

Really????? What if the shoe was on the other foot and a white man stood up raised his hand and said, "The revalution will be televised, White Power!!!" Could you imagine the headlines? But no, we will sweep this under the table like it never hapened. Just like many want to sweep the reverse racism against RJ under the table.

You can believe what you want or agree with what you want. But, the truth remains the same and the will all come out in the end. All the money given to McK will diminsh, and all these DSD supporters won't do a thing financially to put this program back to the prosperity that it once was at for such a long time.

Personally, I like RJ. The majority of the kids at school like him too. If the sentiment is to "do it for the kids" then it would be nice if their opinion held a little more weight.

I think this whole thing has been made into a racial issue, and honestly it always will be until a black coach is hired. Very unfortunate.

I love McK and it will always hold a spot in my heart, but we all have good spots and bad spots in our heart and the tarnish that has been done here to the black and red is undeniable. I will be the first to eat crow if this all works out in the end. This is the first, but not the last you will hear from me. For I know if things are left in the hands of DSD they will fall apart just like the guts of McK High School is falling apart under her watch.

And believe me when I say the best is yet to come. If anyone doubts what I say or comes after me or my post will be proven wrong. And trust me TP may be oppinonated, but he knows more facts than most of you know.

McKinley "falling apart" is more than an administrative issue. Ultimately it falls back to leadership, but the real problem lies at the homefront, and theres only so much you can do with that piece of the puzzle.

I'm trying to optimistic about this situation. at this point that's all you can do. I see no reason why RJ wouldn't make it out of committee. He has a couple things going for him:

1. His superiors who recommended him the first time are on the committee.
2. The person with the final say coming out of committee recommended him the last time.

This isn't the hurdle you should be worried about.

Todd made an excellent observation though: one does have to wonder if RJ does get recommended to the board, the same group who turn him down, what will happen the 2nd time around?

[just a fan]

From the first article....

"Stokes-Davis said the committee would meet this weekend to decide whether to move Carlos McClain, who has been publicly opposed to Johnson, to a voting member of the committee."

At what point are they going to figure out that, for a very good reason, voting committees/boards have an odd number of people? Making Carlos a voting member would make it an even number committee......so, in the event of a tie vote?!!

That said, along with Stephanie Patrick and Lester Sanders, Carlos shouldn't be on the committee at all (voting member or not). They all have a conflict of interest attached to their participation.....friends or relatives of candidates.

[browns32]

The sad fact is that both Massillon and McKinley have ceded their power to the suburban schools with years and years of interference from within from parties that have agendas that have nothing to do with football.

true - along with the collapse of business and jobs in both communities. its strange watching schools we once thought of as a joke now being capable of and actually beating both.

The folks in the decision making process at McKinley may want the Bulldog program to excell, but ONLY IF it is done their way....with THEIR people in control. Their real goal is to control, and if excellence follows, fine.

If not, so be it, as long as they hold the reins.

this sums it up - and if the results fail with their choice - we'll see if they hold the new coach to the same standards that were held to the previous - my guess would be no.

Believe me, this situation in Canton does not bring joy to the knowledgeable an thoughtful fans in Massillon. The two programs are dependent upon each other to maintain their respective auras. We are joined at the hip. Without excellency in each program, the rivalry becomes second class. You guys dont want to beat us because the Tigers suck. You want to beat us because the Bulldogs beat the BEST we have to offer. You want to break our hearts when we are on a roll. And the same applies in reverse.

in the short term the massillon fans will enjoy this - in the long term not so much. i agree though - 93 and 96 meant much more then 98 or 2004.

Without that attitude, Massillon-McKinley becomes Indiana-Purdue, and not OSU-Michigan.

more like ohio state/indiana. massillon would not let this same thing happen to their program - sure there are politics over there as well - but to me massillon always seemed unified enough not to rip their own limbs off to spite somebody.

You think you have it bad?

wait till the choice is made - a blimp with flammable hydrogen.

Years ago Massillon fired Mike Currence for no reason at all. He won, he scored enough points, his defenses were awesome, and he tatooed you guys regularly. What more could anyone in Massillon ask?

he dominated mck - and came closer than anybody to beating the 81 team - great coach who i thought was fired because of the paul brown record - though massillon fans have told me it was not because of that.

as much as i've argued with you before - you always have good insight and know what you are talking about. have to give credit where its due. problem at mck is nobody cares until there is a crises - and in this case too little too late.

[CATS44]

Actually, the Currence fiasco was almost the same as what you guys are facing now...without the racial overtones. A small group that wanted to be in on the decision making process within the football program desired a coach that would allow them to do that, or a coach that was too out of touch to figure out what was going on. They got both.

The same fight has been going on since then...and flares up every time Massillon goes looking for a coach. And the individuals are often the same. That is why Shepas was forced out and Stacy was brought in.

Massillon football has never been the same since Currence was ousted. We have our good years, but they are usually far apart. Attendance has taken a nose dive and so have the revenue streams.

This is not a good omen for McKinley, because Massillon has a higher base attendance and always has had larger revenue streams.

Anyway, I wish you guys luck....and hopefully Filtz will be your man.

[chrislighty]

I like how dat dude calls our kids inmates dude r u serious

[just a fan]

I like how dat dude calls our kids inmates dude r u serious

I thought dat dude is one of our kids. Either way, "inmates are running the asylum" is a common phrase. While I don't like the phrase, I didn't take the comment literally.