McGhghy resigns after 3-day Missouri basketball camp

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BY CHUCK VANDENBERG
PCC EDITOR

FORT MADISON - After one year and two wins, Fort Madison Head girls basketball coach Todd McGhghy has resigned his coaching position with the district.

McGhghy, who was in his third head varsity coaching stint with Bloodhound athletics, doubled the win total from the previous year where the Bloodhounds had just one win against 21 losses, and was having success with the spring activities.

He said after eight years as a varsity head coach he's just not equipped to deal with everything that a varsity coach has to deal with.

"I turned down three head football coaching offers this year because I think I finally realized I just don't want to be a head coach anymore," McGhghy said.

McGHGHY

"I miss coaching football and I think I would entertain lower level coach type stuff, maybe strength and conditioning or a coordinator position, but the head coaching positions have just too much to do with parents anymore. I don't know why I thought girls basketball would be any different."

McGhghy said the girls had been having a very successful spring and summer camp season going 7-4. He really thought they should be 10-1 this spring after losing a couple close games.

But some incidents at a camp near Branson changed his mind about wanting to continue in the position.

He said the incidents and the resignation have nothing to do with the recent public comments from boys basketball coach Ryan Wilson surrounding interference from Superintendent Dr. Erin Slater.

"The politics of coaching are what they are. Keeping the job is rule number one. I tell my assistants I'm going to be loyal to you and defend you, but at the end of the day if I'm going to choose between my family and yours, I'm choosing mine," he said.

Fort Madison Athletic Director Jeremy Swink said he had just seen the resignation letter and said it had nothing to do with the stories published last week.

"The issues in his resignation letter - that was the first I heard about a lot of those issues. So to my knowledge, this has nothing to do with the other issues whatsoever," Swink said.

He added the district has some big shoes to fill in replacing McGhghy's passion for the game.

"I was kind of surprised to see it. We're definitely sad to see Todd go. He brought some life back to the girls program and had a lot of energy and passion. We haven't posted the position yet, but they have some big shoes to fill with his enthusiasm and the great things he brought to the program."

McGhghy said two hours into the camp there were issues of vaping and bullying that were brought to his attention, and possibly marijuana use. He added that after a loss in the third day of the camp, he raised his voice to the team and then a parent got involved.

"We finally lost a game the last day we're down there and I raised my voice and that lead to parent drama 5 1/2 hours away. I'm just not equipped to continue to deal with these kinds of things. I'm just not good at it," he said.

"Two hours into the camp, we had a vaping/bullying/harassment thing that I had to deal with. I was at my computer trying to look at who we were going up against and had to stop to deal with that. It's just something that I don't do very well."

McGhghy is a teacher at the high school and said he hasn't resigned his position, just the head girls coach spot. He's also an assistant with the boys and girls track team, where he serves as a throwing coach.

He said his departure means the district will be looking at hiring its 28th head coach in team sports in the last 10 years. It will also be the fourth girls varsity coach in the last 10 years.

"There are a lot of red flags - to me they're red flags anyway, but I'm definitely not good enough at dealing with those things. My focus has been developing a championship elite-type program and I don't know any other way to go at it," he said.

"I don't think I would politically survive what needs to be done to build a championship program. There is a specific issue not related to the administrative issue that will get ugly and I'd probably lose that."

McGhghy declined to comment on the specifics of the issue, but said he can now focus on building his teaching certifications and turn to a leadership team he's part of at the high school working with at-risk students.

"I joined that leadership team and I told Mr. Smith I wanted to be all-in with that program. And he's always told me to build my certifications and become a more attractive candidate if I ever leave the district, so I want to concentrate on those things, too."

McGhghy coached Fort Madison football from 2008-2014 and was the head girls basketball coach from 2011-13 before this past season. He's the fourth varsity coach to be replaced in the last 12 months. Former head football coach Tony Shiffman left the district for a college assistant position earlier this year. Fort Madison High School teacher Derek Doherty was tapped to fill that position.

McGhghy took over for Charlie Knipe last year after Knipe went 1-21 in his final season. Last year Fort Madison didn't renew the coaching contract of Ken Steeples, the head varsity baseball coach and the district brought in Ron Walker to take over that job.

Jared Rehm has been in place as the girls varsity softball coach for just two years and Mike Schneider and Chad Hannum, two Fort Madison firefighters, took over as co-head coaches of the boys track team this past season, replacing Erin Brunner, who resigned from the varsity post in 2018.

Swink said he will officially have to wait until the board accepts McGhghy's resignation before he can post the opening.

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