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It sunk in to me Tuesday when driving home towards Saxton circa 6 pm; I saw Steele heading south on Route 26...dressed in Bison Blue...

It's no longer "bison blue"

It shall be known as "Steele Blue"


bwahahahahahahahahahahhahaha!

It should say Vince Lombardi to Bedford who is Kevin Steele?

I haven't been paying much attention to all this, even though my wife told me a week or so ago that Steele was going to get hired, according to various rumors. Now it's a done deal. My reaction is extreme puzzlement. If I let myself, I could probably get worked up, angry, furious, even incoherently choleric.

My kids played for Ridge sports teams, and I supported them totally, but I'm a product of Bedford football and basketball. It's something I've always cherished, even though my accomplishments were very very modest. What I cherished were the people who I played with, the people who coached me, and the people who I later coached and taught with. What I cherished was the tradition, which is rich and goes back a long way. I thought that tradition was also cherished, or at respected by the powers that be until Max Shoemaker, as fine a man who ever played and coached anywhere in the area, let alone Bedford, was forced to resign because of the ludicrous reason that coaching while also being an administrator compromised him and the school district in some way I've never been able to comprehend.

When Dan Smith took over a couple years ago, I felt that things were looking up because he was a long-time assistant coach, a quality guy, and most importantly, he valued and loved the program, knowing that there were several outstanding in-house candidates who could take over after his interim. Smith's success with the amazing turnaround of last year's Bison gridders boded well for the future, especially since several assistant coaches were major factors in transforming that group of boys into a very fine team.When Smith resigned from coaching, in conjunction with his upcoming retirement as a teacher, I felt that good times were coming to Bedford Stadium.

My particular favorite as a possible head coach, was Dan Baker, a young man with integrity,dedication, and an old-school belief that hard work and good behavior in athletes is just as important as winning. About ten years ago I was lucky enough to have Dan sit in my senior English class for a year. That time confirmed my already strong belief that Dan was totally top notch.

Dan seemed like a logical shoo-in, though there were other assistant coaches in the program who would be fine choices too. As far as Baker is concerned, it doesn't hurt that Dan's half brother was a great player himself years ago and a man who most notably later became a big-time high school football coach in Florida. Good genes, there.

I know that Mr. Steele is a good man who has turned the TM football team around. If Bedford had a dearth of candidates, I would welcome Mr. Steele. But we have good people, steeped in the Bedford tradition, who were ready to step in. Indeed, you could argue that Dan Baker was being groomed for the job.

I'm puzzled what the thinking was that made the board and the administration think that going with new blood was the right direction. Are there other factors at play here of which I'm woefully ignorant? Somebody convince me that this hire was not, at the very least, a big slap in the face to some fine men, one in particular. I'll try to keep my anger at bay and remain, for the time being, puzzled by another strange decision coming out of Bedford.

When did HOLLYWOOD return to BC? Good to see him back. He keeps things interesting.

Reading what I have read on here about the canidates for the job I am disappointed for another reason.I love sports, but I am tired of seeing jobs teaching school being handed out with coaching spots. I know I'll be attacked for saying it but, shame on the school board for passing up coaches already on staff! At the beginning of all this it was stated that no jobs teaching would be given with the coaching job,what a bunch of garbage.I love how sneaky this was done, a social studies teacher retires and they decide all of a sudden to get rid of that position and add a science teaching position.Oh by the way the coach we hired happens to teach science,what a coincidence. I don't have anything against coach steele, the man probably is a great teacher,but quit giving other jobs away just to get football coaches!

2 thing here:

foghorn,

Bedford got a 2-for-1 deal in Hiring Steele as they Now have both men who they narrowed down to be the finalists for the job. I don't particularly agree with it, but who am I to decide that?

usatf oldguy,

If you're looking for a reason that the teaching position was changed from a Social Studies teaching position to a Science position, look no further than the PSSA's. Mr. Yantz (retiring SS teacher) taught only SS elective positions, and with the PSSA requiring proficiency in Science for graduation coming up in the next few years, they've decided to add another Science teaching position. Like it or not, that's the way things work now around the PSSA's.

Any ideas who will take over at TM? Maybe good ole boy Steve Moore will finally get his shot.....

I thought Steele was an administrator at TM. Won't he take a sizable pay cut being back in the classroom?