Detroit Free Press: Magelssen Out As Northern's Volleyball Coach

[This is a truly distubing story...the fact that Jack Magelssen retains his teaching job leads me to believe that no inappropriate acts took place and the coach is a victim of a flaccid administration failing to stand up to and educate a few shortsighted and petty parents and their children.]

VOLLEYBALL: Magelssen out as Northern's coach,
School removes 10-time state champ
October 8, 2004
BY MARK SNYDER, DETROIT FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER

For 28 years, Jack Magelssen's Portage Northern teams have dominated high school volleyball.
He has the most coaching victories in state history with more than 1,400, owns a record 10 state championships and will be an inaugural inductee in the Michigan volleyball coaches hall of fame, which opens next month.

But none of that mattered after school on Tuesday, when Magelssen was told his yearly contract was not being renewed.

Magelssen, who will remain as a physical education and special needs teacher at Northern, said there was no single incident that led to his dismissal and that the administration offered a few reported problems by parents when they asked him to resign.

Magelssen said a few parents were dissatisfied with their children's status in the program and went to the administration. Magelssen said some parents also thought he worked the players too hard. The coach said he does not play favorites and puts his players through intense preparations, but thought nothing was out of the ordinary or inappropriate.
Magelssen felt he had done nothing wrong and refused to resign. He offered to have a few of his athletes talk to the administration about the incidents in question. Though the students backed Magelssen, the administration held firm on his removal.

"All they said was they were going to turn it into a positive situation," said Magelssen, 56, who hopes to coach at another high school. Northern will post the job and begin looking for a replacement. The first day of practice is Nov. 18.
Athletic director Carl Latora wouldn't comment Thursday on the dismissal, saying only that it was difficult because the two have been friends for years.

District spokesman Tom Vance said no overriding negative incident led to Magelssen's removal, and cited his remaining on the teaching staff as evidence.
"We're hoping that the fact that there is nothing impacting his status as a faculty member answers part of people's concerns," Vance said.

Vance offered nothing specific on the dismissal, saying only, "There was an administrative decision made not to renew the coaching position."
Magelssen said he has been battling these parents' dissatisfaction since the spring and was repeatedly assured he would remain coach.
That was until Tuesday.

By the time word spread at school Wednesday morning, the main office at Northern was filled with complaining students but, according to Magelssen, the administration would not discuss it.
"They're hoping it goes away," Magelssen said. "I'm happy making it 28 years and have nothing but positive experiences."

Here is a link to a related story from the Kalamazoo Gazette:

http://www.mlive.com/news/kzgazette/index.ssf?/base/news-11/109716242116350.xml