Southeast head football coach John Warren resigns, stuns team

BRADENTON -- When John Warren and his wife Amy went to illinois over the Christmas holidays to visit family, he said he sensed a change was needed in his life.

Warren didn't waste much time putting a plan into action when he announced his resignation as Southeast's head football coach Wednesday.

It caught nearly everyone connected with the program off guard.

"This is a shock to all of us and a very sad day," Southeast athletic director Daniel Bradshaw said. "Coach Warren is a good friend and a great leader for our kids. He is a shining example for them about being a good person and a good man. It's disappointing to think about starting over, but we have a lot of good kids."

Warren came into a difficult situation when he took over the program in 2014, replacing Southeast's legendary coach Paul Maechtle, an iconic figure in the community.

Warren struggled in his first year, winning only one game, but after starting last season 0-3 he guided the Seminoles to the playoffs with a 4-1 district record and finished 5-6 with a young team with great promise.

"This was completely a family decision," Warren said. "I love those kids and I love Southeast High School, but family comes first. My wife and her family are still up there and so is my family. We weighed our options and this was the logical thing to do."

Ironically, Warren replaced a coach who also came from up north in Maechtle, but the Wisconsin native stayed more than three decades in building the Southeast program into a state power.

Under Maechtle, Southeast won two state titles, went to the state championship game five times, won 17 district titles and once compiled a 44-game district winning streak.

The program struggled in his last couple of years and in Warren's first season. But it was on the upswing, with a talented corps of younger players returning, particularly on defense.

Warren will stay at Southeast and teach until the end of the school year, but said he will not be involved in the program because he didn't want to interfere with the new coach.

"We had things moving in the right direction and I feel the administration will bring in someone who will put them over the top," Warren said. "One reason why I made the choice now is that I want to give them the best chance to find a quality coach while there are still two or three months away before it gets busy.

Kevin Johnson, who emerged as an offensive juggernaut under Warren and was named the Bradenton Herald Offensive Player of The Year, did not know of the resignation until a reporter called him.

"I am shocked and surprised. I thought he would continue his career at Southeast," Johnson said. "I think he did a good job once he grasped the concept of how to coach our team. For me personally, I feel like he is a great coach and a better friend. He helped me out."

A senior, Johnson led Manatee County in rushing with 1,342 yards, though he had to fill in at quarterback when the Seminoles' regular quarterback quit the team.

Warren will take the head football coaching job at Massac County High School in Illinois, which is about three hours south of St. Louis. He was the head coach there in 2013 after one year as an assistant at Southeast, and returned to Southeast in 2014 as head coach. The head coaching job at Massac came open after last season.

"It's a situation that feels right and is about 80 miles from where I went to high school," Warren said. "We went up there Christmas break and got to hang out with family and friends. We went down to the old school to talk to those guys again and it felt like it was right thing to do."

Bradshaw said he had about 65 applicants when Maechtle resigned after the 2013 season. He will be part of a search committee that might involve some community members and other school officials, but the final decision rests with Principal Jim Pauley.

"We will post the job and generally there is a two-week window, and then we will move forward," Bradshaw said. "Spring football is not until May so we will have plenty of time to bring someone in. Getting the right person is more important than being as fast as we can."

The many names thrown around will include Brett Timmons, considered a leading candidate when Warren was hired.

Timmons played on Southeast's two state championship teams and was a member of Tulane University's undefeated team in 1998.

He was head coach and athletic director at Out-Of-Door-Academy when Southeast was looking for Maechtle's replacement, but is no longer in that position and might be considered the frontrunner in many people's eyes.

Warren met with his players Wednesday to tell them he was leaving. Nearly all were stunned. For the upcoming seniors it means they will have a third head coach in four years.

"For some it's only been two years and changes are what they are accustomed to, but they are a resilient bunch," Warren said.

This story was originally published January 6, 2016 at 7:45 PM with the headline "Southeast head football coach John Warren resigns, stuns team ."