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DeGennaro resigns from Knights

Mike DeGennaro leaves the program after going 15-45 in six seasons but plans to stay at the school to teach.

By FRANK PASTOR
Published November 8, 2005

NEW PORT RICHEY - It was the perfect match, or so it seemed at the time.

When Scott Schmitz left to coach at Mitchell in 2000, River Ridge handed the reins to its football program to Mike DeGennaro, a lifelong county resident and longtime Royal Knights assistant.

DeGennaro would work under athletic director Jack Homko, his former defensive line coach at Hudson, where DeGennaro was an all-conference nose guard in the mid-'80s.

"It was an exciting day when we hired Mike," Homko said. "We had big plans and hoped for the best.

"It didn't work out."

DeGennaro, one of the original teachers when River Ridge opened in 1991 and only the second coach in the program's 15-year history, resigned after six seasons without a winning record, including 0-10 this year.

He met with Homko and principal Jim Michaels about a week ago and told his players before Friday's game at Mitchell that it would be his last.

"It's just something I thought I needed to do for myself and for the program," DeGennaro said. "I know how hard I've worked and how hard the kids have worked for me. Things weren't going the way we would have liked them to, so maybe it's time for something different."

DeGennaro was 15-45 in six seasons at River Ridge. He had grown frustrated and disappointed with his inability to turn around a program that lost much of its talent to Mitchell, Homko said.

"I think he's glad it's done and over with," Homko said. "I hate to say people were talking, both kids, parents, the general public. "Is he going to stay? Is he not going to stay?' This way, it was basically on his terms, and I think he needs some time to step back from it, regroup and see what he wants to do."

DeGennaro, 37, said he doesn't plan to leave River Ridge, where he teaches physical education, coaches girls weightlifting and serves as business manager for athletic events, overseeing matters such as ticket sales, ticket taking and scorekeeping.

DeGennaro, who has a bachelor's degree in physical education from South Florida and a masters in curriculum and instruction from National-Louis University, said he might pursue a masters in education leadership for administration.

"As of right this second, I don't plan on looking for a coaching job anywhere for next year," DeGennaro said. "I plan on taking a year off, possibly going back to school and having some time for me."

Parental pressure also might have played a role in DeGennaro's decision. Michaels said a couple of parents - "but not any large movement or feeling" - expressed displeasure about the direction of the program, and he heard talk of a petition to have DeGennaro removed as coach.

"I explained to the people that brought that information to me that, although I would certainly take anything they wanted to give me in hand, it wasn't going to be anything that would make a decision for me on the future of the program," Michaels said.

Though DeGennaro's teams largely were unsuccessful on the scoreboard (none finished better than 5-5), they made great gains in the weight room and in other areas off the field, Homko said.

Among other things, DeGennaro taught his players to be responsible, accountable and hard-working.

"I hope people understand just because the record wasn't what he wanted it to be, he wasn't a failure," Homko said. "It was just an unfortunate thing that happened. Hopefully, he's going to find a better place that will work for him."

For now, at least, that place still appears to be River Ridge. A regular presence at athletic and other school events when he was coaching, DeGennaro returned to the football field to paint lines for a band competition the day after he told his players of his plans to resign.

"It needed to be done, and I was there and I know how to work the machine," DeGennaro said.

Today, River Ridge plans to post the opening, which pays a $2,952 supplement for the fall and $1,310 for the spring.

Michaels said he hopes to find a replacement who can match DeGennaro's enthusiasm and involvement in school programs outside of football and be a similarly positive influence on students.

Though several local candidates are expected to apply, the school will hold a wide search similar to Gulf's, which drew 43 applicants before the school hired Kentucky native Jay Fulmer, who went 5-5 in his first season.

"We're going to try to find somebody that wants to take the program on and maybe go to that level we haven't been in the last few years," Homko said.

[Last modified November 8, 2005, 02:15:36]