‘I was blindsided’: Rodemaker speaks on shocking dismissal from VHS
VALDOSTA, Ga. — The Valdosta Board of Education voted Tuesday against renewing the contract of Valdosta High head football coach Alan Rodemaker for next season.
News of the decision sent shockwaves through the community and many have been vocal on social media and other platforms about Rodemaker’s dismissal.
Wednesday, Rodemaker spoke on the decision to remove him as head football coach, saying he was taken by surprise at learning the board’s verdict.
“The only indication I got was that it may not be unanimous,” Rodemaker said. “And that was it — I was blindsided. I didn’t think there was going to be an issue at all. Why would there be an issue? In four years, we’ve been to the quarterfinals twice and won the state championship. I’ve never been called in for any reason. I’ve never been disciplined or called to the carpet by my principal or superintendent in four years about anything. Why would there be a reason for me to think anybody would not renew my contract?”
Over four seasons, Rodemaker led the ‘Cats to a 36-17 record and won the state championship in his first year as head coach in 2016. Rodemaker helped guide the team to a 10-3 record this past season and to its second straight state quarterfinal appearance.
Given his success as head coach, Rodemaker said he hopes the board will reconsider; citing the culture he and his staff have worked to revitalize since he took over in 2016.
If Rodemaker is not reinstated, he said he would not serve in any other capacity other than head football coach.
“I won’t stay at any capacity other than where I’m at now,” Rodemaker said. “So, unless they rescind the votes and it changes and they vote me back in — which they can do — there’s no way to stay at Valdosta High School.
“What we’ve built there and the culture we have there is as good as it’s ever been or as good as it’s been in a long time. We’ve got a great staff of coaches. We’ve got stability there — our feeder programs are in better shape since I’ve been there and I’ve been there over 10 years.
“Our program’s in better shape now than it was when we won the state championship. We’re poised to have a great year next year — we’ve got 16 or 17 returning starters, all of our coaches are still intact, our culture’s great. It’s a great time to be a ‘Cat. There’s never been a better time than right now.”
The veteran coach said he has received more than 200 text messages and about 75 phone calls from people reacting to the decision. Rodemaker said he has had conversations with his players, school personnel, Valdosta High Touchdown Club members, parents and lawyers Wednesday.
During a phone interview with The Valdosta Daily Times Wednesday evening, Rodemaker called the day “difficult.”
“It was emotional when I talked to my players this morning,” Rodemaker said. “It was difficult for me and them. It’s difficult for all of my assistants. It’s not just about me — the vote may have been just about me, but I’ve got 10 or 11 varsity assistants where it’s affecting their family. Half of those guys own houses here, the other guys rent. They’ve got families here, they’ve got kids in our schools.
“It affects way more than one guy and it affects 150 football players, and if you count the middle schoolers I’m over as well, you’re talking about 400 football players. There’s a lot of people this affects. … It’s been a difficult day for all of us, my family and the Wildcat family.”
Players such as linebacker Jaylin Alderman and others have taken to social media to voice their support for Rodemaker.
Rodemaker said he feels his removal is dubious, based on a lack of a relationship with the council members who voted him out.
School board members who voted in favor of keeping Rodemaker Tuesday evening were Kelly Wilson, Stacy Bush, Trey Sherwood and Tad Moseley. Those opposed were Warren Lee, Liz Shumphard, Tyra Howard, Debra Bell and Kelisa Brown.
“It was orchestrated — no doubt in my mind,” Rodemaker said. “It’s pretty obvious. That’s all I’ll say.
Rodemaker continued, “Nobody’s ever told me that I was not doing my job properly. Nobody’s corrected me. Nobody’s told me to do this better, do that better. I’ve always been told, ‘Good job.’ I’ve done some great things for this program in four years.
“The people that made the decision on me not being at Valdosta anymore and the reason I can’t coach these kids anymore is because of five people I’ve never had a conversation with. I’ve never met them. They’ve never been in my school. They’ve never seen me operate. They probably have as little knowledge about what I do on a day-to-day basis as anybody in the county of Lowndes or City of Valdosta. Somehow those five got to make a decision on my future here.”
Rodemaker said he plans to fight the board’s ruling in hopes of staying in place as Valdosta’s head coach.
With roughly 17 starters returning for the 2020 season and how close the team felt it was to winning another state championship, Rodemaker said he hopes to carry on as the leader of the ‘Cats.
“I’m fighting,” Rodemaker said. “I’m hoping we turn some voters. If we can turn a couple of those voters, they’ll realize their mistake and they’ll keep me in place as the head coach. I want to coach this football team. I really felt like we had a chance to go back-to-back state championships (the last two years) and we fell short this year.
“We’ve got a good football team coming back. … I’m just excited about the future and putting work into these guys and we’re just really getting started. It’s unfortunate that people can vote without knowing much about you. When the people that know about what you do on a day-to-day basis and they’re in a supervisory position and both recommend you, it’s certainly a surprise to me.”