DPS hires new Dunbar football coach; He says no district official told him

UPDATE @ 9:20 p.m.:   Dayton's school board hired a new Dunbar High School head football coach at its Saturday retreat, but that coach, James Lacking, said Tuesday night that no one from the school district informed him he had been hired, more than 72 hours after the retreat.

Tuesday was a bizarre night, as dozens of Dunbar supporters came to a Dayton Public Schools board meeting to support recently rejected football coach Darran Powell.

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Parents, players and coaches (including Powell and Lacking) crowded into a tiny sixth floor conference room with the school board. Many of them were among the 1,500-plus who signed an online petition, asking for the board to re-hire Powell.

School board members thanked the group for their interest, and encouraged them to get their issue added to the agenda for the July 11 school board meeting. But neither the board members nor Superintendent Rhonda Corr mentioned that they had already hired a coach – a fact most in the room seemed unaware of.

The online school board agenda for Saturday, June 24, actually lists a James Jacking up for consideration for the Dunbar post. Asked whether that was a typo -- since James Lacking is a current Dunbar assistant and former head coach -- school board member Joe Lacey indicated that, yes, Lacking was the hire.

School board office manager Cherisse Kidd confirmed that all of Saturday’s personnel items had been approved.

Tuesday, Lacking said he had not received notification.

Late Tuesday night, DPS issued a notification that there will be another school board meeting at 4:30 p.m. Friday. The notice says only that the board will “vote on recommendations from the superintendent and/or treasurer.”

The only order of business for Tuesday night's meeting was a closed executive session to discuss the employment of unnamed school personnel. The school board did not vote on any hires.

The Dunbar supporters were there for the start of the meeting, but were not asked to explain their position.

Powell's contract as head coach was not renewed for the 2017 season at a school board meeting last week.

“It’s overwhelming,” Powell said of Tuesday's turnout. “I definitely appreciate all the love and support that we’ve gotten over the past week. It just shows that we’re truly family. Dunbar is deeper than just sports. They have my back and I love them for that.”

Powell said Dunbar’s coaches from last season still have been “conducting business day to day” with the team during summer activities. Many of those coaches were there Tuesday, including Lacking, who coached Dunbar’s offensive and defensive lines.

“We’re not going to leave the kids high and dry,” Powell said. “We’re still going to continue to do it unless they bring me back or bring somebody else in.”

Dunbar had to forfeit the final two games of its 2016 season for using an ineligible star player. Investigations by both the school district and the Ohio High School Athletic Association revealed that coaches and athletic directors did not fully understand the eligibility system.

During the final game against Belmont, once the ineligibility issue was understood, Dunbar called timeout, had an emotional sideline team discussion, then ran a few plays intentionally trying to lose the game.

Dunbar’s coaches said that directive came from districtwide athletic director Mark Baker, who has denied it multiple times, but has declined to speak to the media in recent months. The school board recently gave Baker a two-year contract extension before declining to retain Powell.

OHSAA officials placed all DPS high school athletic programs on three years of probation, and pointed the finger at Baker, saying the instruction to lose the game came from him.

Nicole Robinson, whose son plays for Dunbar, said parents came out Tuesday to support the coaches and players, “to move forward in a positive manner for the upcoming football season.”

“We’ve had some ups and downs, but in terms of making sure the students had tutors and things in place to make sure they were eligible to be on the field, we’ve always come together collectively as a group to support our players and our coaches,” Robinson said.

Joseph Scates, a star wide receiver for Dunbar who has drawn interest from some of the top programs in the nation, said summer on-field work for Dunbar football “has been going great.”

“The coaching staff and coaching jobs are still kinda complicated, and that’s why we’re here today now to get things straightened out,” Scates said. “Darran is more than just a coach to us. It’s more to it than just football. He actually loves us, and has been building us and wants us to grow up and be successful young men. … We’re going the extra mile for him because he goes the extra mile for us.”

EARLIER TONIGHT 

Dozens of Dunbar High School supporters came to Tuesday night's Dayton school board meeting in support of football coach Darran Powell whose future as coach is in limbo.

The only order of business for Tuesday's meeting was a closed, executive session to discuss the hiring of unnamed school personnel.

But the Dunbar crowd, including players, parents, Powell and several assistant coaches, crowded into a tiny sixth floor conference room to make their presence felt as the meeting began.

Nicole Robinson, Dunbar football parent Nicole Robinson, Dunbar football parent

School board members thanked the group for their interest, and encouraged them to get their issue added to the agenda for the July 11 school board meeting.

The board then went into executive session which was ongoing as of 6:15 PM.

Powell's contract as head coach was not renewed for the 2017 season at a school board meeting last week. The board has assigned a temporary head coach but both Powell and players said last year's coaches continue to work with the team.

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