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Wins can't save Plant coach's job

The school dismisses Augie Quintero in order to staff coaching positions with on-campus teachers.

By EMILY NIPPS, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published May 30, 2002

TAMPA -- After four years as the head coach at Plant, Augie Quintero was fired last Thursday.

Principal Eric Bergholm said the school will be adding new teaching positions in order to accommodate the addition of a seventh period to next year's school day, and Plant hopes to attract a teacher who can also coach softball. Quintero, who was paid $1,888 during the 2001-02 season, was not a teacher.

"It was not necessarily that we were unhappy with Augie as a coach," Bergholm said. "Since we're able to add teaching units, we wanted to fill our coaching positions with as many teachers as possible."

Quintero said the news came as a shock and called his termination "a very involved situation."

"I feel double-crossed," he said. "I'm very upset with what they told me was the reason for my termination."

Quintero began as an assistant at Plant seven years ago and finished his fourth year as head coach last month with a 75-29 record. He led the unranked Panthers to the Class 5A state final in 2000 and to a district championship in 2001.

This past season, the Panthers reached the 4A region semifinals before falling to Estero 7-6.

Last year, Quintero said he confronted Plant administrators with concerns about his future after the contract of baseball coach Pat Russo was not renewed in June. Quintero said he was told he had "nothing to worry about."

Russo, who also did not teach at the school, is now the head baseball coach at Hillsborough. "I put my heart and soul into this program, and helped raise $50,000 to build a nicer facility," Quintero said. "Based on my last four evaluations, I thought they were very happy with the job I have done."

Plant athletic director Laura Figueredo maintained that Quintero's termination was a result of the school's push to bring in more coaches who are on campus full time.

"We don't have a lot of turnover with teachers at Plant ... so with the addition of these positions, we saw this as an opportunity," she said. "It's just better for the teachers, better for the kids and better for the coaches."

Quintero, who is a district sales manager for a water treatment service company, has not decided if he will pursue another coaching position in the area.

"Right now, I'm picking up the pieces," he said. "I would love to coach again for an administration that backs its coaching staff."

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