Wayne football coach/AD awaits fate from school board

Supporters of Jay Minton, Wayne High School’s longtime athletic director and head football coach, sought answers during Tuesday’s Huber Heights Board of Education special meeting about Minton’s future roles with the district.

According to Selena Crace, a former Wayne High School bursar, former teacher’s union vice president and current Huber Heights Athletic Foundation president and athletic hall of fame chair, Minton recently was given the option of resigning as AD or being non-renewed.


»» RELATED: Warriors win GWOC shootout vs. Fairmont

Minton is currently an administrator, but Crace said Minton has been offered a teacher’s elementary school physical education position at about a $15,000 pay cut, estimated Crace. It is unclear if the change would impact Minton’s role as football coach.

In 2017 Minton was paid $94,723 as a Supervisor/Manager at Wayne High School, according to a database of school district salaries available at DaytonDailyNews.com.

“It means resign or we’re going to fire you,” said Crace. She was among 100 supporters who showed up Tuesday at Studebaker Middle School before the five-member school board exited to a private executive session. “You don’t reward a long-time employee with this kind of shaft.”

»» PHOTOS: Fairmont at Wayne football

Neither school board members nor Minton would comment Tuesday night. Superintendent Susan Gunnell last week said she would not comment on personnel matters, and said that Minton’s employment at Wayne will be addressed during a board meeting Thursday, May 9.

Minton has been Wayne’s head football coach the last 21 seasons and in education for 28 years. The area’s most successful big-school program in the playoff era, Wayne has played in four Division I state championships with Minton as coach. He has been the schools’ athletic director since succeeding Jim Sherard in 2006.

»» RELATED: “You can’t replace experience”

A groundswell of support for Minton began soon after social media postings of the possible move began to spread. That’s how Mike White, Wayne’s boys and girls bowling coach, found out.

“I’m blindsided,” said White, a 1987 Wayne grad. “I don’t understand why this is happening. I don’t get it. I have questions. Where did it come from? I think they should rethink what they’re thinking about.”

»» RELATED: Area players on their impressive best

Donnie Ray Evege, a former Wayne football player who played on scholarship at Ohio State University, is like a lot of former Warriors who pledge their allegiance to Minton.

“I have so much respect for him,” Evege said. “I don’t know everything that’s going on, I just support him. He’s a darn good man. A lot of people wish they had more details about what’s going on.”

»» FACEBOOK: For more sports you should like Marc Pendleton

The school year will end in about three weeks. Last February, Yellow Springs superintendent Mario Basora was hired to succeed Gunnell as the Huber Heights superintendent, starting in July. Gunnell has worked in the district for 35 years, the last seven as superintendent.

»» TWITTER: You should like @MarcPendleton

Being a dual head football coach/AD is unusual at large Division I schools such as Wayne, although popular among smaller and more rural school districts. Former Wayne head football coach Mike Schneider, who Minton succeeded, also was the Warriors’ athletic director.

About the Author