Many great memories have been made over the last 15 years during my tenure at Lexington Catholic. More importantly, many positive personal and professional relationships have been made, which to me is the most important aspect of coaching. My family and I have been blessed to spend these past 15 years in a school community rich with a spirituality and a warmth second to none. Though many games have been won and, thankfully, a lot fewer games lost, the personal and professional relationships are paramount in the joy that has made up these years. The players over these past 15 years have been an absolute pleasure to coach. Their willingness to be challenged and pushed to the brink in order to be the best, and their thirst to take on the next great challenge that the annual growth of this program presented, has been so satisfying. I shy away from naming any individual, because those who have played in this program in some way have made a positive contribution to its success.

The parent support and love shown to me, my family, and the football program cannot be overstated. The coaches who currently work in this program and those who have come in and then gone on have been the best, and without their efforts, no true victories, on the field or in the hearts of our players would have occurred. I am forever indebted to all of them, and I feel great about the current state of the program. It is rewarding to know that the program will be carried forward in the right way.

I also want to thank the school administration for its belief in some young, cocky coach 15 years ago who had bounced around from high schools in Louisville, the Western and Eastern parts of the state, and from WKU, for giving me the opportunity of a life-time; that of starting a program from scratch. The challenges of starting from scratch are great with many pitfalls that could derail its progress along the way. But the undying support of the administration has been critical in the program’s development and I will forever be thankful for the backing given and the willingness to listen and understand the program’s needs.

I want to also thank the Lexington Horsemen organization for the chance to prove my coaching merit in an exciting and dynamic professional football venue. I believe that I gained as much or more from that experience than they gained from me. I also want to thank the assistant coaches from the Horsemen staff for all of the hard work and dedication.

From a personal standpoint winning two championships the past couple of years at two different levels of play, Class AAA high school football and professional indoor football, has been beyond what any coach should have the good fortune of experiencing. But, with much excitement and zeal, I announce that I have accepted a new challenge of trying to build a consistently successful, championship caliber program at North Gwinnett High School in Georgia. From a professional perspective, Class AAAAA football in Georgia is the top of the food chain. It is the heavyweight division of high school football. I have always tried to place myself and my teams in the most challenging settings possible, and when Dr. John Green, Principal of North Gwinnett, contacted me about the prospects of taking over the program, my interest was piqued. After a series of meetings to learn about the program and the community, I feel that this is the next great challenge for Bob Sphire and his family, thus I am announcing my resignation as the head coach at Lexington Catholic and with the Lexington Horsemen. I will be moving to Georgia in a couple weeks to begin the process of interviewing current staff members, immersing myself into the community, and preparing for spring practice.

Though I am leaving two football programs, an outstanding school community, and the community of Lexington, which Marian and I dearly love, I am most gratified to know that both programs will continue on with great leadership. Mike Zuckerman, my defensive coordinator with the Horsemen has been appointed head coach. He will do a wonderful job as he is assisted by such great coaches as Mike Harmon, Troy Hobbs, Chuck Allen, Donnie Walker and Traye Moore who I had the pleasure of recently adding to the staff. Also, the leadership in the front office by Andy Raaker and Dusty Bonner, and the owner Lennie House will continue to make the Horsemen an exciting and successful franchise.

From a Lexington Catholic standpoint I could not be more pleased in knowing that the program will continue forward in the positive direction that it has been on for the past 15 years. Great coaches and support staff such as Bill Letton, Troy Hobbs, Mike Engler, Kevin Bruggeman, Chuck Allen, Nigel Smith, Terry Schickle, Blake Preece, Matt Madding, Billy & Susie Fryer, George and Andrea Ewen will keep the program from missing one beat. They will move it onward and upward.

As I told the players, coaches, parents and fans at the banquet last week: We are blue, white, and black. We play to win, while doing it with class. We have a “bring it on” attitude, never backing down from anyone. We live by the motto of “Stay loose…Go Reckless…Score Now”. We are LC!

Thank you, and God Bless!

At this time I will turn things over to David Hardin, President of Lexington Catholic, to announce the new head coach at Lexington Catholic.