Since the TSSAA first began classifying schools in the late 1960s, football has been the driving force behind many decisions by the state’s high school athletic officials.

It was the most influential reason for last week’s decision by the TSSAA Board of Control to continue taxing private schools opting to remain in Division I with an enrollment multiplier. And football coaches continue to play a key role in not allowing the public-private debate to end. Despite having the multiplier, there remains discussion of a complete split, strictly along public-private lines.

“I don’t have anything against our local private schools that are competing in the public school division,” Lookout Valley football coach Tony Webb said. “But the fact is we can’t compete with them. They have more kids, better facilities and more coaches. Tell me that’s fair.

“There’s nothing wrong with playing those teams in the regular season. But when you get to the playoffs and you’re trying to win a championship, you shouldn’t be at such a disadvantage.”

After the TSSAA’s reclassification plan was revealed — combined with the multiplier already in place — some private schools such as Boyd-Buchanan have been placed at a severe disadvantage. Although the Buccaneers have a high school enrollment of fewer than 300, which would place them in 1A without the multiplier, they will compete in the 3A postseason beginning in 2009.

Similarly, Christ Prebyterian Academy, with just more than 300 students, will also compete in a district with Stratford, which has nearly 800 more students.

“The thing that really frustrates us is that we have no private school representation on the Board,” Boyd-Buchanan football coach Grant Reynolds said. “If we did, maybe maybe all private schools would get a little more understanding.

“We’re going to do what the TSSAA tells us to do. We’ll get ready for whoever we have to play. We’ve never backed down from playing anybody.”

After Brentwood Academy claimed consecutive state football championships in the state’s largest classficiation, a groundswell of support from administrators at larger enrollment public schools led to the TSSAA’s original public-private split in 1996. Despite the fact that no private school other than BA had won a title in the largest classification since 1977, citing a fear that public schools could no longer compete, Division II was created for private schools that offered financial aid to athletes.

“Football was pretty much the sole reason for the split in the first place,” said former McCallie athletic director Bill Cherry. “The real kicker was when BA won two straight 5A championships and a lot of public schools couldn’t take that.

“There was also some discontent about wrestling, but looking back, if there was a way to separate football from all other sports it would probably solve the problem. We’re in the south, surrounded by the ACC and SEC and football is king. There is a lot of stock put into winning championships, and a football coach is going to get fired a lot faster than a golf coach for not producing.”

The TSSAA has made more than $1.5 million in the last two years combined from the football playoffs. The other 19 sanctioned sports combined don’t add up to the revenue generated by football. Because of that, it is often football that dictates classification rulings that affect all sports.

No public school has won a boys’ or girls’ team tennis state championship in the last 11 years, and Hixson’s boys are the only team to have claimed a state golf title in that time. Only one public school has even played for a state title in either boys’ or girls’ soccer in the last four years.

However because those sports have lower profiles and profit margins compared to football, and because public schools have held their own in basketball, the biggest complaint made to TSSAA officials involves the football postseason.

“We’re letting one sport dictate everything we do,” said McGavock principal and board member Mike Tribue. “We’ve had five classes and now are about to have six maybe in football and all other sports have no more than three.

“Football decides everything in this state.”

Comments