As of Friday, Fort Scott High School head football coach Don Epps no longer holds the reins of the program he coached for four years.
Epps resigned his position on Friday and said that it was time for a fresh start for the Tigers, who finished 1-8 this season.
“The kids always worked hard for me,” Epps said. “Now, maybe its time for the program to get some new direction.”
Epps replaced Bob Campbell four years ago and went 16-5 in his first two seasons with the Tigers. During that span, he also won two district titles and was the co-champions in the Southeast Kansas League in his first year.
However, the program saw a dip in his final two seasons and the Tigers won just 4 games in that period. Epps finished with a 20-19 record at Fort Scott.
“We had some bad breaks and things didn’t go our way,” Epps said. “This was not an easy decision because the kids really gave it their all. I love the Fort Scott program with all my heart.”
In addition, Epps’ wife is expecting their first child and he said she is about two months from giving birth.
“I want to give all my priority to my family right now,” Epps said. “But, these kids are like my family too.”
Prior to going to Fort Scott, Epps was an assistant coach at St. Mary’s Colgan for Chuck Smith from 2000 to 2004, taking a break to go to Cassvile, Mo., in 2002 to be closer to his father, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor.
He emphasized that now it is time for the Tigers to have new blood and a new direction in the program.
“I love the program very much, I worked hard and we did everything we could to put a quality program on the field,” Epps said. “Now, I want to give an opportunity to give a fresh light to the program.”
Epps said that he will remain a teacher and head track and field coach at Fort Scott.
“I want to work hard and I have a family to take care of,” Epps said. “I did not step down to find another job or opportunity, but I’ll bounce back on my feet.”
Matthew Clark can be reached at matthew.clark@morningsun.net or at 620-231-2600, Ext. 140. Follow Morning Sun sports at twitter.com/mssports
