Meet Sean Horne. Former middle school principle, current Russell Independent Schools Superintendent, and probably an alright guy.
Oh, he's also the guy who just booted Russell's iconic Head Football Coach out the door.
After 38 years, and making Russell relevant in Kentucky football, Ivan McGlone has been forced out as Head Coach. It was Horne who pulled the trigger.
You have to ask yourself though, what if it was time?
To a forward thinking superintendent, it was past due. Horne has attempted to get McGlone to accept the terms of not being on the sidelines for the Devils before. Matter of fact, he offered McGlone a tribute/send-off last season, with the point being that Horne was letting him know, in no uncertain terms, it was coming to an end. A new direction was going to be embarked on, and McGlone was not going to be leading them in that direction.
McGlone, said no.
After the completion of this season, Horne once more made that offer. McGlone could saddle up on his horse for one last hurrah and ride off into the sunset. However, under the terms he was offered, you know that Ivan was going to be looked at as just a symbol of Russell football being paraded and heralded on the sidelines. You have to figure that somebody else was going to be calling the shots under the guise of it still being McGlone's program. It wasn't going to be.
Once again, Ivan, said no.
McGlone's counter to Horne's offers and terms; Either he is the coach, or he is not. No happy middle. No waiving at people in the stands, no 50 yard line ceremonies before games with opposing coaches, no pictures of his face on game programs. No fuss. Either he was calling the plays, running that Wing-T, or nothing.
Nothing it is.
So there it is, it's over. No parades. No ceremonies. No commemorative shirts. Nothing.
The Ivan McGlone Era is done.
However, don't paint Horne out to be the bad guy here. He was doing and acting upon his feeling of what would be best for his school system, and for his athletic programs. That is his job. That is the job he was
in-trusted to do and one in which somebody obviously considered him qualified for.
He's doing it. He's is earning his salary. Unpopular decision? Maybe, but he's doing what he was hired to do.
Unfortunately for Horne, in the football crazed community of Russell, which is all thanks to the success and greatness of McGlone, he may only be remembered as the man who drove out their beloved hero. No matter what good he does for the school system during his tenure, this may be the only thing he will be remember for.
And that may be just as big of a travesty as the way Ivan McGlone was told, not asked, to leave Russell.
Oh, and whoever is named the next head coach? Good luck, pal.
The Ivan Era
Ivan McGlone amassed a record of 316 wins and 151 losses during his 38 years at the helm of the Red Devils since arriving in 1976. He is ranked 7th all-time in wins in Kentucky High School Football, and he has 2 State Titles to his credit while at Russell, the 3A Championship in 1978 and the 2A in 2005.
While he was there, Russell only experienced 5 losing seasons, won 44 playoff games, and went undefeated in both the 1994 and 2005 regular seasons. The Red Devils also enjoyed 6 straight double-digit win seasons.
Russell has not won more than 7 games in a season since 2008.
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