On Dec. 29, the college announced that head football coach Mike Ketchum has accepted a new role in the Athletics department as assistant to Athletic Director Marion Kirby. A press release dated Dec. 29 stated that in his new role, Ketchum will be in charge of the organization of home athletic contests, which includes coordinating game personnel, security and site preparation.
Ketchum, a 1978 Guilford graduate, who also ranks second on the school’s list of all time-coaching wins in football, leaves behind a 53-85 record in his 14 years on Guilford sidelines, along with a 27-49 record in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC). The Quakers went 1-9 this year overall, with a 1-5 ODAC record. Notably, Ketchum also received the ODAC Coach of the Year award in 1991 and 1997, both winning seasons for the Quakers, in which they won 8 games. This position is not completely new to Ketchum, as he is a former athletics director for the college.
There has been a mixed reception towards Ketchum’s reassignment among the team and the general Guilford community.
“It’s kind of discouraging for me as a freshman to have the head coach change after my first season, but if they feel like we can be more successful as a team then I’m all for it,” said first-year Jordan Townsend.
“I had just gotten used to his coaching style, and how cool he was,” said first-year Aaron Varnam. “It’s pretty crappy. He was a really cool coach, a player’s coach, but that’s college football for you. There are coaching changes all the time.”
Though saddened over the loss of their coach, many players look back in a positive light and look forward to what positive changes there are to come.
“Coach Ketchum has been a great influence on the lives of many athletes who have come through the Guilford football program. I think that anyone of (his players) would run through walls for him,” said sophomore Kyle Kiser.
“We as players understand this decision and feel confident that the Athletic Department will do its best to find an excellent coach who will bring in a winning attitude and the same values that Ketchum instilled in this program,” said senior Chase Waterhouse.
The Athletic Department has already received over 90 applications to fill the vacant head coaching position, and Kirby hopes to have a new coach in place by February. The new coach will have the duty of restructuring a team that has 48 student athletes, including 25 rookies.