Woodland Hills coach resigns weeks before season
Kevin Murray has stepped down as Woodland Hills head football coach, Mr. Murray confirmed Wednesday.
Mr. Murray has been on unpaid leave since July 1, awaiting a decision from the Pennsylvania Department of Education regarding the renewal of his principal certification, which allows him to work as a school administrator.
Mr. Murray’s attorney, Phil Dilucente, confirmed Mr. Murray did not resign as principal and said Mr. Murray has yet to hear back about his certification. Mr. Dilucente said he could not comment as to the reason for the certification hold-up.
He has faced two major controversies as Woodland Hills principal. Mr. Murray was placed on paid leave in November 2016 after an audio recording surfaced of him using profanity and threatening to strike a student the district said was being disrespectful to his teacher, although Mr. Murray was not charged with a crime and was reinstated in January.
In April, another student came forward and said his tooth had been punched out during an altercation with school resource Officer Steve Shaulis. Todd Hollis, the attorney representing the students, then released surveillance video of the incident and a second incident from 2015, in which Officer Shaulis appears to use a Taser on a student while Mr. Murray helps hold the boy to the floor.
Mr. Murray was named football coach in April and replaced legendary coach George Novak, who retired after last season. Mr. Novak was Woodland Hills’ only coach since the school opened in 1987 and he finished as the third-winningest coach in WPIAL history with a record of 306-1393.
Mr. Hollis circulated a letter Mr. Murray said he sent to his assistant coaches informing them of his resignation as coach.
Murray wrote in the letter: “I cannot continue on in my position as the head coach when I know that my being there will take away attention (possibly add negative attention) to the team and the kids.”
He wrote that he wanted to put his “professional issues” behind him after the summer, but upon learning those issues could carry over into the season, he decided to step down. Mr. Murray’s biggest regret, the letter reads, is “the fact that I was never allowed to provide people with the truth behind most of this negative attention,” adding, “people like to throw stones from a distance and make accusations and assumptions that are false.”
Mr. Murray said he also wrote a resignation letter to Woodland Hills superintendent Alan Johnson, who said he had not yet received Mr. Murray’sformal resignation.
The school board would have to vote to accept the resignation at next week’s meeting, he said. An acting head coach will be appointed to lead the football team in the meantime.
Mr. Novak said Wednesday he will not return as an interim coach. Mr. Novak said Mr. Murray sent him a text message Tuesday informing him of his decision to resign.
“I don’t have any plans to come back. No one has approached me,” Mr. Novak said. “When Kevin told me, I didn’t say, ‘Wow, I should come back.’
“Kevin told me that he just didn’t want anything that’s going on to affect the kids or the outcome of the season. He didn’t think they should have to go through what he’s dealing with.”
Mr. Murray had previously told the Post-Gazette that if he were to step down as head coach for any reason, Tim Bostard would likely fill the position. Mr. Bostard was an assistant under Mr. Novak and is the school’s assistant athletic director. Mr. Bostard said he couldn’t comment on the situation, but said he has not been told by the school administration who will be the new coach.
Mr. Novak believes Mr. Bostard deserves the position.
“Kevin had a staff in place and they’ve been working with the kids all summer,” Mr. Novak said. “Tim has been running a lot of things and he has been with the program for years. He knows everything about the place.”
At an agenda-setting meeting Wednesday, the board recommended that Chardae Seligsohn fill the seat left vacant when board president Tara Reis resigned last month. Ms. Seligsohn will serve the remainder of Ms. Reis’ term through November.