Academic Magnet High School football coach fired
Posted: Oct 20, 2014 9:23 PM EDT
Updated: Oct 21, 2014 8:28 AM EDT
By Kevin Bilodeau
Academic Magnet High School football coach fired
CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) - Charleston County schools confirmed Monday evening that Academic Magnet head football coach Bud Walpole has been relieved of his duties with the football team. Although the county isn't giving a reason for the decision as of yet.
County athletic director David Spurlock said the county is planning on sending out a press release on Tuesday with more details.
Walpole was in the middle of his 10th year as the school's football coach and it was one of the most successful so far. It's been a season that has seen the Raptors put together a 6-2; those 6 wins are tied for the most in school history. He had put together a record of 29-70. But the last three seasons, things have really turned around for the Raptors as they've gone 15-14.
Walpole is being allowed to keep his position as a teacher at the school.
Although the school district won't yet say why Walpole was removed, it appears the decision had something to do with a post game tradition the team started doing after wins this season.
After winning their 1st game of the season back in September, the team smashed a watermelon in celebration. After winning their next game they began a tradition of smashing a watermelon after each win which continued for the team's 6 game win streak. Mike Miller, who's a member of the school board in Charleston, told Live 5 that a parent from an opposing school came to him and complained about the watermelon act and that the kids were making sounds like monkey's.
A current Raptors player emailed Live 5 Sports on Monday night and said the tradition started when some players bought a watermelon off a man selling them from the back of his truck on the way to a game. The team decided they would eat it if they won their game against Military Magnet. After the victory they smashed it open since the team didn't have a knife on the sideline.
Live 5 also spoke to one of the players parents in addition to a former player and an Academic Magnet student who all stood behind Coach Walpole. They each said on Thursday of last week, members of the Charleston school board went to the school and held meetings with the players on the football team for more than 3 hours. The team was asked whether the watermelon ritual had any racial undertones, which the kids denied.
Walpole was allowed to travel with the team to their game against Whale Branch last Friday, which they lost, but was told Monday that he was being relieved. The team members met with Superintendent Nancy McGinley later in the day and asked why their coach was fired. But they were not given a straight answer with one source saying McGinley told them the decision was "above [their] paygrade".
A petition was started on Change.org hoping that Walpole will be reinstated as the head coach. After only a few hours it had more than 400 signatures.
The current player who emailed Live 5 said about his now former coach "Coach Bud Walpole has been nothing but a caring supportive man to this team, even when we get absolutely destroyed on the football field, he only had positive and upbeat words for us during practice."
Academic Magnet Athletic Director Curt Hoffman sent a text to Live 5 Sports Tuesday morning saying "my focus right now is to help the players and coaches in any way I can, all matters concerning Bud Walpole are personnel matters and as such will not be commented on."
Attempts to reach Walpole were unsuccessful on Monday night.
Copyright 2014 WCSC. All rights reserved
Posted: Oct 20, 2014 9:23 PM EDT
Updated: Oct 21, 2014 8:28 AM EDT
By Kevin Bilodeau
Academic Magnet High School football coach fired
CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) - Charleston County schools confirmed Monday evening that Academic Magnet head football coach Bud Walpole has been relieved of his duties with the football team. Although the county isn't giving a reason for the decision as of yet.
County athletic director David Spurlock said the county is planning on sending out a press release on Tuesday with more details.
Walpole was in the middle of his 10th year as the school's football coach and it was one of the most successful so far. It's been a season that has seen the Raptors put together a 6-2; those 6 wins are tied for the most in school history. He had put together a record of 29-70. But the last three seasons, things have really turned around for the Raptors as they've gone 15-14.
Walpole is being allowed to keep his position as a teacher at the school.
Although the school district won't yet say why Walpole was removed, it appears the decision had something to do with a post game tradition the team started doing after wins this season.
After winning their 1st game of the season back in September, the team smashed a watermelon in celebration. After winning their next game they began a tradition of smashing a watermelon after each win which continued for the team's 6 game win streak. Mike Miller, who's a member of the school board in Charleston, told Live 5 that a parent from an opposing school came to him and complained about the watermelon act and that the kids were making sounds like monkey's.
A current Raptors player emailed Live 5 Sports on Monday night and said the tradition started when some players bought a watermelon off a man selling them from the back of his truck on the way to a game. The team decided they would eat it if they won their game against Military Magnet. After the victory they smashed it open since the team didn't have a knife on the sideline.
Live 5 also spoke to one of the players parents in addition to a former player and an Academic Magnet student who all stood behind Coach Walpole. They each said on Thursday of last week, members of the Charleston school board went to the school and held meetings with the players on the football team for more than 3 hours. The team was asked whether the watermelon ritual had any racial undertones, which the kids denied.
Walpole was allowed to travel with the team to their game against Whale Branch last Friday, which they lost, but was told Monday that he was being relieved. The team members met with Superintendent Nancy McGinley later in the day and asked why their coach was fired. But they were not given a straight answer with one source saying McGinley told them the decision was "above [their] paygrade".
A petition was started on Change.org hoping that Walpole will be reinstated as the head coach. After only a few hours it had more than 400 signatures.
The current player who emailed Live 5 said about his now former coach "Coach Bud Walpole has been nothing but a caring supportive man to this team, even when we get absolutely destroyed on the football field, he only had positive and upbeat words for us during practice."
Academic Magnet Athletic Director Curt Hoffman sent a text to Live 5 Sports Tuesday morning saying "my focus right now is to help the players and coaches in any way I can, all matters concerning Bud Walpole are personnel matters and as such will not be commented on."
Attempts to reach Walpole were unsuccessful on Monday night.
Copyright 2014 WCSC. All rights reserved
