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| Dennis Grayless. Shawneemissionnorthfootball.com |
The move comes following a season in which the Indians went 0-9, the first winless campaign for the school since 1985.
Grayless was hired by SM North in April of 2010 following the resignation of then head coach Ryan Majors.
In his three seasons as head coach Grayless compiled a 4-24 record.
The highlight of his tenure was in 2010 when the Indians defeated Wyandotte and Leavenworth in back-to-back weeks of district play to qualify for the playoffs.
Grayless inherited an eight-game losing streak when he took over in 2010. The Indians lost their first six games under his watch before coming up with the two victories. After that the program went 2-18 in its next 20 games under Grayless.
It was only 12 years ago in 2000 that SM North, under current SM East Athletic Director and assistant football coach, Sam Brown, went 9-2, losing to Olathe North in the Sub-State round. The Indians fielded three winning records and two playoff appearances in the four seasons that followed, before Brown left to coach his alma mater, Excelsior Springs, in Missouri.
Following Brown's departure, the program, for all intents and purposes, fell off the map. Beautiful practice facilities and a state-of-the-art on-campus stadium, built in 2006, have provided little momentum.
In the eight seasons since 2004 SM North has a combined record of 13-60, just slightly ahead of the Sunflower League's last place team, Leavenworth, whose record is 10-63 over the same time period.
Where the program goes with the hire is unknown. But one thing's for sure--the on-the-field results can't get much worse for a program that's won four state titles and eight league championships in its existence.
Those interested in applying for the job opening should contact SM North Athletic Director George Sallas by phone at (913) 993-6943 or by email at georgesallas@smsd.org
4 comments:
Coaching makes all the difference. SM East was a doormat until they got Sherman, and it has been a while now, but West was doormat before they got whoever the coach is there. If North gets a solid coach EVEN they could field a good team.
That is true. One of the best things that happened with West was Shepard hiring away Callaghan from Olathe North under Wier. Perhaps the best steal or hire of a coach outside of Sherman coming to SME from Platte County/Salina South. Both have made immediate impact in the SMSD's movement to the top of the league standings. It doesn't happen over night, but it is great to see everything come together over time.
SM West's acquisition of Callaghan was really a miracle when you look back on what transgressed.
1. Olathe Northwest chose to not go with Callaghan in naming the first head coach of their new football program in 2003 (it was rumored that Dain was chosen over Callaghan).
2. Olathe North also went with John McCall over Callaghan in 2003, following the departure of Gene Wier to Texas.
3. Callaghan was willing to go to a program that had a combined record of 7-20 from 2000 to 2002.
I forgot to add that, the guy that comes to mind for year in and year out fielding solid teams, is Myers at Olathe East. They been good for 20 years, from back when I played to now, even though this year was kind of a down year for them. That doesn't happen by accident. You don't always have talent in the program. I suppose you could make the argument he isn't a great coach because he's never won state, but I go back to the fact Olathe East has been good for 20 years running. By the way I didn't play for Olathe East, so I'm not some homer who is completely biased.
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