Chad Grabowski is back as a football head coach. Three months after the stunning decision by Red Bank High School officials to relieve him of his duties, Grabowski has accepted an offer to take over the Copper Basin program.
"I'm a believer that things happen for a reason," Grabowski said Monday. "It was a weird deal, not coaching for a few months, because that's all I've known for 18 years. But maybe the reason was to lead me to this community, which my family already feels very comfortable in.
Red Bank head coach Chad Grabowski congratulates his team after they kicked a field goal. The Red Bank Lions visited the Signal Mountain Eagles in TSSAA football action on Friday September 30, 2016."This is a smaller community, but they are very serious about their football and they support the program. The kids I've met are hard working, passionate and have great football intelligence. I am very excited about what we can do here."
The 41-year old Grabowski helped guide Red Bank to four consecutive playoff appearances, reaching the semifinals last season, and back-to-back region titles. He takes over for Patrick Daley, who resigned two months ago after 12 years at his alma mater.
The Cougars nearly doubled the number of players at spring workouts after Grabowski was named their coach.
"Sometimes a fresh face is what's needed for a program," Copper Basin principal Tim Kidd said. "Coach Daley did a tremendous job here, and our program has been to the playoffs in seven of the last nine seasons. The numbers had been a little down, but now there seems to be a new energy among the kids.
"Hiring him was easy because he was the best fit for the job. His knowledge of the game and the success he's had running a good program before are impressive. We're very happy to have Coach Grabowski and look forward to big things for the program under him."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.