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Coach Mance -Who's gonna Fill those shoes?


ojrussell
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DV was brilliant, period. As a person, not a rock star, but he was an excellent coach and he could take his and best yours, and he could take yours and best his. Theres a difference in making racial slurs (which is 100 percent wrong) and being a racist. I think one poster is implying the latter. I played golf with Dennis and Phil Rogers. Of the countless times he played with Phil, I hoped he wasn't "racist," lol.  Dennis had a temper, but he wasn't a racist. Dennis was similar to Paul Wheeler. Both vicious competitors and brilliant coaches, but both had issues with their administrators wherever they went. Paul even had issues at Lafayette with administration and Dennis even at Lexington and P.Henry long before Richlands. But, both could flat out coach.

There are many faults people have. That includes Harry Fry, Glenn Carlock, and Gainer. There are some negatives and positives all of them had, even in their personal lives, they were far from perfect. Oversll though, much more good than bad.

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53 minutes ago, Hokie1Pokie said:

DV was brilliant, period. As a person, not a rock star, but he was an excellent coach and he could take his and best yours, and he could take yours and best his. Theres a difference in making racial slurs (which is 100 percent wrong) and being a racist. I think one poster is implying the latter. I played golf with Dennis and Phil Rogers. Of the countless times he played with Phil, I hoped he wasn't "racist," lol.  Dennis had a temper, but he wasn't a racist. Dennis was similar to Paul Wheeler. Both vicious competitors and brilliant coaches, but both had issues with their administrators wherever they went. Paul even had issues at Lafayette with administration and Dennis even at Lexington and P.Henry long before Richlands. But, both could flat out coach.

There are many faults people have. That includes Harry Fry, Glenn Carlock, and Gainer. There are some negatives and positives all of them had, even in their personal lives, they were far from perfect. Oversll though, much more good than bad.

Excellent post!  I was thinking along the same lines with other coaches you mentioned.  Hard to muster the effort to respond to other posters when you know you can't change their minds.  People have their opinions, which they are certainly entitled to.  Vaught obviously wasn't perfect, but, he would rather eat shoe leather than lose. I can personally say that I never heard any racial slurs from Vaught.  But I have seen him melt players and coaches down.

A couple of years ago, I recall seeing an article about Harry Fry.  Fry was pictured on the sideline during a game while smoking.  I thought, boy..how times have changed.  One thing about Vaught...he was a winner.  He took Lexington and Richlands to state titles when neither school had won a championship.

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@Hokie1Pokie @old_school_blue

I made a snarky comment that he had spewed more racial slurs than most coaches, but I do want to clarify a couple of points.  First, I'm not calling Dennis Vaught a racist, and, frankly, I doubt he is one. It wasn't my intent to imply he's one either. That would be a serious accusation and there's no evidence for me to make that claim.   I do think there's a difference between uttering a racist comment (which is bad) and actually being a true racist (which is far worse). I think DV would have started a card-carrying member of the Nation of Islam if he thought it would've helped him win a game.

Many years ago, I was discussing DV with a long-time high school official.  He told me Dennis Vaught was one of the most likable people you'll ever meet until it came down to winning a ball game. He said competition would change him from a mild-mannered gentlemen into a raging madman.  He said the Vaught was a football genius but couldn't control his win-at-all-costs mentality.

Secondly, I don't think anyone can question his football acumen (two titles in five years with two different programs that had never won before).  

I believe those of you who say he's a good man who made some mistakes.  Dennis Vaught left a sad and sordid legacy.  We'll never know what might have been, but he was certainly on his way to becoming one the most successful coaches in VHSL history.  

 

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10 hours ago, Liam McPoyle said:

@Hokie1Pokie @old_school_blue

I made a snarky comment that he had spewed more racial slurs than most coaches, but I do want to clarify a couple of points.  First, I'm not calling Dennis Vaught a racist, and, frankly, I doubt he is one. It wasn't my intent to imply he's one either. That would be a serious accusation and there's no evidence for me to make that claim.   I do think there's a difference between uttering a racist comment (which is bad) and actually being a true racist (which is far worse). I think DV would have started a card-carrying member of the Nation of Islam if he thought it would've helped him win a game.

Many years ago, I was discussing DV with a long-time high school official.  He told me Dennis Vaught was one of the most likable people you'll ever meet until it came down to winning a ball game. He said competition would change him from a mild-mannered gentlemen into a raging madman.  He said the Vaught was a football genius but couldn't control his win-at-all-costs mentality.

Secondly, I don't think anyone can question his football acumen (two titles in five years with two different programs that had never won before).  

I believe those of you who say he's a good man who made some mistakes.  Dennis Vaught left a sad and sordid legacy.  We'll never know what might have been, but he was certainly on his way to becoming one the most successful coaches in VHSL history.  

 

Solid post bro. I agree.

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