107 Apply For DHS Coaching Job

The search for a new head football coach at has entered a new stage.

School Athletic Director Carter Wilson said Tuesday night that the application period ended last Friday and that 107 people applied for the job.

He said the applicants had varying experience -- head coaches, ambitious assistant coaches, even some from the college ranks.

The new coach will replace Price Jones, who resigned in early December after leading the Bulldogs for four years and compiling an 18-23 record. The team was 4-6 last season.

Jones said he resigned the head coaching job because he didn't feel the administration supported him.

In the next step of the hiring process Wilson will narrow the list down to six applicants. He said he'll do this by looking over the resumes, making phone calls and checking references.

Wilson said he'll form a committee to interview the six applicants and come up with a short list of three. Those three will be interviewed by Principal Lauri McKain and Superintendent Dr. Phyllis Edwards.

Wilson said he would like to have the new head coach secured by next month.

Spring football practice is a certainty, he said, though the new coach might not be able to participate fully if he's under contract for the rest of the school year to another school.

One of the big selling point for Decatur High is new athletic facilities. The stadium was torn down in 2008 and rebuilt in time for the 2009 football season.

The Decatur High job has been removed from the job listings on the Georgia High School Association website.