Winning, contending for conference titles and surging into the playoffs is the M.O. at Troy.
“There’s no doubt about it,” Scot Brewer said. “I remember my senior year playing at Troy, we went 9-1 and you would have thought we were 0-10. It’s just the culture and there’s nothing wrong with that culture. It’s still a culture I believe in. It’s just unfortunate I couldn’t come through and do better.”
Brewer was informed last week that his supplemental coaching contract as head coach would not be renewed. His first two teams were 4-6. But the program flat-lined this past fall, skidding to 1-9. Worse, there were three consecutive losses to Piqua.
At Troy, that doesn’t cut it.
“At this time, we are going in a different direction with our football program,” Troy athletic director Dave Palmer said in a statement. “We would like to thank Scot for his efforts the last three years … and look forward to his continued teaching career at Troy High School.”
In a bit of irony, Palmer previously was the AD at Piqua.
Brewer, 38, succeeded longtime Trojans coach Steve Nolan, who also was Scot’s head coach in high school. Maintaining Nolan’s success at Troy would have been a daunting task for anyone. It fell on Brewer.
Nolan has since done what Brewer couldn’t, reviving the program at nearby Troy Christian.
“I wish I’d have had more time,” Brewer said. “It’s the world we live in now. You’ve got to show consistent results and it just didn’t pan out.”
Like many of his peers, football has been part of Brewer’s life for more than 30 years. He aspired to be a head coach. All those seasons didn’t prepare him for what awaited.
“I’m definitely done with head coaching,” he said. “There’s no doubt about that. I thought it took away from the actual ability to coach. Honestly, you’ve got to deal with way too many parents. That truly does in this day and age take away from coaching.”
Former Tippecanoe boys varsity basketball coach Jim Staley knows all about that. Lured out of retirement, he walked away from the Red Devils after just 12 games last month because of parental interference. Staley said the badgering started the first hour he took over the program. He wasn’t kidding.
Brewer will return to coaching football. Until then he’ll be a dutiful soccer father to three daughters and spend more time tending to his horse farm. He’ll continue to teach social studies and American history at Troy.
“I’ve got a lot of things going on and I’ll see where it takes me,” he said. “If it means I’ve got to reinvent myself, I can do that, too.”
And don’t think Brewer is bitter. His Trojans’ roots run deep. It’s in his blood. He is Troy football’s greatest champion.
“They got a great group of boys coming up,” he said. “The seventh- and eighth-grade classes are outstanding. The (football) future in Troy is bright; there’s no doubt about it. I wish I would have had the opportunity to coach those guys but it is what it is. I’m going to be the biggest fan, for sure.”
About the Author