Archie is back as Granby coach
He orginially stepped down in February
Afamiliar name is back as Granby High School’s football coach: Larry Archie.
Eight months after stepping down as the Comets’ coach, Archie has returned to the post, Norfolk Public Schools said in a release Tuesday night.
Archie led the Comets to a 2-8 record in his only season at Granby. The Comets snapped a17-game losing streak and won back-toback games for the first time since 2017.
“I’m very excited because now we have a chance to hopefully build on what we did and what we started last season. We felt like we had a pretty good foundation,” Archie said. “We lost some good kids to graduation and we’re going to be young, but we’re excited about the opportunitytoworkwithsome really good kids.”
Archie stepped down in February, citing the commute from Portsmouth, where he was guidance counselor at Churchland Middle School. Archie, though, now works as a school counselor at Madison Alternative School in Norfolk.
“Everyone who spoke to me about finding the right football coach for Granby pointed to who was there previously,” principal Tommy Smigiel said in a release. “As I learned more about his coaching history, the way he treats his players, his coaching style and overall philosophy, he aligned with the vision I have for turning around our program.”
Archie is a Norfolk native who starred at Norfolk Catholic High before playing at Hampton University. He has coached college football at Hampton, Virginia Union, Bowie State and Norfolk State, and was a Lake Taylor High assistant before becoming Norcom’s head coach.
Archie was 152-63 in 18 seasons at Norcom, winning more than seven games eight times, including 10win seasons in 2010 and 2001. He led the Greyhounds to the Eastern District title in 2010.