Preps

Brandon plucks coach from Durant's sideline

Jim Wilt leaves his position as Cougars offensive coordinator to take over his third team.

By SCOTT PURKS, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published March 18, 2003

BRANDON -- Jim Wilt's head coaching career has had its share of starts and delays and hasn't had the easiest beginnings.

In 1986, he took over at East Bay, a team that hadn't had a winning season in 15 years. And in 1995, he helped open Durant, starting that program from scratch.

At East Bay, he coached five years and went 25-24. At Durant, he went 0-10, 4-6 and 5-5.

In between those jobs, he worked as an assistant at Brandon and Armwood. And after stepping down at Durant, he tried administration, helping open Riverview in 1998.

A year later, after "realizing I was a coach and administration wasn't for me," he was back at Durant as an assistant, which is where he has been since 1999. And now, he's ready to again try head coaching.

This time, it's at Brandon. And at age 53, he said he believes it's the best starting position he has ever had.

"Brandon has been a team that's just missed the playoffs the past few years," Wilt said. "There's always been talent there, and what we have to do is find a way to take it just a notch higher.

"I'm excited about the chance to do that."

Wilt, replacing Ernest Hayes, who resigned after last season, comes in with new principal Denny Oest, who as an athletic director hired Wilt at Durant in 1995.

"Denny and I have a good relationship, and we both want the same things for this football program," Wilt said. "The next two weeks I'm going to assemble a staff. And then we'll address the kids, and then we'll get in the weight room and get to work."

Which means getting the Eagles (5-5 overall, 3-2 in Class 4A, District 8 last season) to start working on the Wing-T. Wilt ran it at Durant as offensive coordinator the past four seasons with particular success last year, when the Cougars went 11-2.

Brandon athletic director Mike Burnett said he believes Wilt has what it takes to take the Eagles to the next level within "the next five to seven years."

"The No. 1 thing I like about Jim is that he's a motivator," said Burnett, who received 19 resumes and interviewed six candidates. "He can get the kids fired up and believing in themselves.

"The success other county schools have recently had in the state playoffs has been exciting. And when you see that, it makes you hungry and gives you a desire to be successful. And there's something about a successful football program that can set the tone for the whole year for the whole student body. We believe Jim can get us there."

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