Raymond Daugherty agreed to come to Salisbury High in June of 1998 to take over as athletics director, to coach golf and to serve as an assistant on new head coach Glen Padgett’s football staff.
But you know what they say about the best laid plans of mice and Hornets. Eleven months later, with a new football season just around the corner, Padgett accepted the head job at Northwest Cabarrus and the Hornets were leaderless. Daugherty, who had been head coach at West Rowan for five seasons in the 1980s, was the most experienced person on staff. Principal Windsor Eagle turned to Daugherty. Daugherty consented to take the reins for “a little while.”
“A little while,” as it turned out, was two seasons. Daugherty, who will remain as athletics director and golf coach, announced Tuesday it’s time to let someone else have a go at the football program. A successor has yet to be named.
“It’s just a good time to get a younger guy in place for football,” said Daugherty, 52. “Honestly, athletics director is a full-time job. We’re also heading into a new league next fall, so it makes sense to do something now.”
Daugherty was 3-19 in two years as pilot of the Hornets, but that hardly tells the entire story. He took the helm and the corresponding heat at a time when Salisbury High football wasn’t exactly considered a plum job. The Hornets struggled along at 4-28 in the three years prior to Daugherty’s stewardship and the number of athletes in the program had dipped into the danger zone.
Padgett, acknowledged as one of the bright young coaches in the state, had managed only one win in ‘98 — a 14-6 victory over a pretty awful Lexington team.
But Daugherty jumped headlong into the fire, managed to maintain his sanity through an 0-11 1999 and made the Hornets respectable this past season with three wins, including victories over playoff-bound Concord and Albemarle. Salisbury also went to the wire with South Rowan, West Rowan, Lexington and East Davidson, which says just as much about its progress.
“I’m glad I coached the past two years,” said Daugherty. “I built some lasting relationships with kids and coaches. Sure, I’m going to miss them and I’m going to miss football. But I’m pleased that I was able to improve the program. I’m stepping down with Salisbury High on the right track.”
Eagle can’t say enough about what Daugherty did for Hornet football in some adverse times.
“Raymond turned the program around,” said Eagle, “We were down to 45 kids for varsity and jayvee. “Now we have more than 80 kids involved with football (that’s better than 20 percent of the male student body) and he’s instilled a winning attitude. Our house is well in order and we are clearly on the path to recovery.”
Daugherty and Eagle had discussed his staying on for one more year, perhaps even several more years, but the conclusion was that the timing was right to make a move.
For a change, time is on the Hornets’ side in finding a new coach. They can select just the right person for the opening, rather than, as Eagle puts it, “scurrying around at the last minute.”
Whoever the Hornets hire will have big cleats to fill — much bigger than the folks who see only the wins and losses, realize. Daugherty did one heck of a job. But now, after 22 years of coaching football, he deserves the chance to put his competitive fire into hitting golf balls rather than watching film. And on Friday nights he can sit back and watch the Hornets with pride, knowing that their success was built largely with his sweat.
“We will be forever grateful to Raymond Daugherty,” said Eagle. “He was a big plus for our football program. He goes out on top.”
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