From the BCCT:
Gober steps aside at Morrisville
By: DOM COSENTINO
Bucks County Courier Times
FOOTBALL
Jim Gober had been giving it some thought for quite some time - over the course of several recent offseasons, in fact.
As is true of every high school football coach with a wife and children, the demands on Gober's time took their toll through the years. Add to that the fact that Gober's wife, Margaret, sometimes works long shifts as a nurse at Abington Hospital, which on occasion left Gober with the duty of driving around their three children - ages 15, 13 and 11 - at the expense of leaving Morrisville's practices early.
Finally, after an emotional, 48-27 loss to Bristol last week on Thanksgiving - the Bulldogs' 11th in a row against their longtime holiday rivals, and a game that left Gober with a glazed, teary-eyed look afterward - Gober made up his mind sometime over the weekend.
Tuesday, he made it official by submitting his resignation to athletic director John Hubiak and breaking the news to the Morrisville players.
"I had the opportunity to coach a lot of wonderful kids," Gober said. "When I met the team (Tuesday), they kind of thought I was not serious when I told them; they were kind of like, 'Well, what are we going to do now?' "
Hubiak did not return phone calls seeking comment, though it's safe to assume the job will be posted sometime soon.
Gober, 43, who will continue to teach social studies at Morrisville, had two separate stints in charge of the Bulldogs. He first coached them in 1999 and 2000, then left in 2001, when Morrisville did not field a team because of a lack of numbers. He took over again in 2005, after a year as an assistant at Council Rock North and two seasons coaching his son's youth team.
Gober finished with a record of 26-64, but the Bulldogs did win seven games in both 2009 and 2010, with this year's bunch qualifying for the District One Class A playoffs for the first time in 18 years.
Gober reiterated what he said after the latest Thanksgiving loss to Bristol - he felt strongly that Morrisville had a chance to win. But after they fell behind, 42-13, at halftime, he ordered the players to remove the Bulldogs decals from their helmets, saying they didn't deserve to wear them after the way they played.
"It was a very difficult thing to do today," said Gober, who refused to rule out a return to coaching in the future.
Dom Cosentino can be reached at dcosentino@phillyBurbs.com. Follow Dom on Twitter at twitter.com/domcosentino
December 01, 2010 02:05 AM
