South Bend Adams football coach resigns

Tribune staff report

Tools

South Bend Adams football coach resigns

(WSBT Photo) After two seasons and two weeks away from the season opener, Elmer Britton resigned as Adams Football coach on Friday morning.

By Beth Boehne

Story Created: Aug 8, 2008 at 12:13 PM EST

Story Updated: Aug 8, 2008 at 5:54 PM EST

SOUTH BEND — Elmer Britton, head football coach at Adams High School the past two seasons, resigned Thursday, just two weeks before the season opener.

Britton said in a statement that during a meeting with new Adams athletic director Bill Groves and Kirby Whitacre, athletic director for the South Bend Community School Corp., that a list of "18 or 19 immediate concerns” were presented to him.

“Demands were placed on me that I could not, in good conscience, accept,” Britton said.

No indication was given as to who would take over the team.

More information will be available in Saturday’s South Bend Tribune.

Tuesday, Aug 12 at 9:39 PM Anonymous wrote ...

It all started (the decline in sports) when the education wizards closed Central. Adams (huffy puffy high) should have been sold to iusb or torn down wait till all your grants run out kids will leave in droves.

Tuesday, Aug 12 at 7:49 AM Get rid of Dieter wrote ...

I agree, Derek Dieter needs to decide if he wants to be a politician, a police officer or a football coach. How many doors did he knock on, on the northwest side to convince kids to come play ball at Adams? Last year before the Adams/Riley match up, he drove by Riley in his Police car and trash talked the Riley football team during their practice. Any wonder why the kids don't have respect for the SBPD? Plus Riley parents helped pay for his gas. Total lack of class. His career should be ruined.

Monday, Aug 11 at 6:13 AM chinese don't care!! wrote ...

What a "firestorm" !!! But, I hear that there are 1.32 billion chinese who just don't care !!!

Sunday, Aug 10 at 12:06 PM frankly, friends and daddy's wrote ...

I hear that Frank Amato will not have sent all of that time in the principals office last spring for nothing...good work Frank....and Frank ...daddy's want their boy to pass the ball a little more than you normally like but......the principals friend likes to air it out so remember when in Rome.....we are glad that "family" circumstances are now better so the coupe could be completed...good luck guys...but remember..."Beware of the Ides of March"!!

Saturday, Aug 9 at 10:00 PM adamsfan wrote ...

Coach Britton is a legend and also one of the best teachers of football. Not only did he teach football the was it was supposed to be played, he taught players how to be a better person. Tears came from my eyes when i heard he resigned. I feel very sorry for the players and coaches at adams. They must over come this obstacle by using the same lessons coach britton taught. Its a shame that politics had to interfere with the student athletes lives. THANKS COACH BRITTON.

Saturday, Aug 9 at 9:34 PM Bud at 3:35 BINGO!! wrote ...

Bud at 3:35 hit the target in the bullseye!!! THAT is what dead on happened....sorry Elmer...you were simply their collateral damage!!

Saturday, Aug 9 at 9:18 PM MISHAWAKA MANIA wrote ...

If you are a great athlete and want to suceed come over to Mishawaka. We have a new coach and Football will rise again. Leave South Bend because it is going to be Gary in 5 years. Dieter get a life the way the streets are in South Bend you need to worry more about your work than babying your kids. Most kids hate dads like you who will not let their kids be kids If you want to coach go to school pay for tuition teach in a class room all day and tehn try to coach ENOUGH SAID

Saturday, Aug 9 at 5:37 PM Eagles Fan wrote ...

POLITICS & FRATERNITY rule in South Bend football, especially at Adams.

Saturday, Aug 9 at 2:35 PM Bud wrote ...

You are looking in the wrong chair for blame. Look in the principal's office. He is President of Rocket Football (Penn) and best friends with the new (unannounced) coach that he brought in from Florida. Add to this the quarterback's dad with an agenda and a reserved seat in the principal's office and corp. AD's office, and you have a coaching change.

Saturday, Aug 9 at 2:33 PM Dash wrote ...

.....another reason to leave or not move to South Bend, the school system. It's as flawed as the people who run/ruin the city.

Saturday, Aug 9 at 12:41 PM Jim wrote ...

Would someone please take the bullets from the administrators’ guns at the SBCSC so they quit shooting themselves in their feet? First they let a social studies lesson go to a willing Mishawaka High School, and now they lose one of the premier football coaches in the state of Indiana. These two goofballs, Groves and Whitacre need to be fired on the spot. How do these two men get off giving Britton ANY advice? This is what they wanted all along. Who ever they name as coach was always their choice

Saturday, Aug 9 at 8:30 AM see Ya wrote ...

Quitter plain & simple. He could not have finished the season-spoke with his team then left? Had a kid pulled this stunt........

Saturday, Aug 9 at 6:26 AM Alterior motives !! wrote ...

Which parent, administrator or wanna-be-coach undermined Coach Britton?? Do the administrators not have enough problems academically?? They should have no time to micro manage the real professionals. Yes 241 wins and the Hall of Fame will qualify you as a professional. South Bend has its lowest number of teachers and educators coaching than ever before. Let these jobs be filled by NEA members who are "educators". Let policemen do police work. Parents do parenting...We apologize Elmer!

Saturday, Aug 9 at 6:04 AM JarJar wrote ...

Sad, sad, sad. I agree with those of you that said we need to dig deeper for the real reasons behind this. Something does not jive here.

Saturday, Aug 9 at 5:08 AM politics in the schools does not belong!!! wrote ...

derek dieter can NOT be a policeman...council member...football coach (with zero varsity experience) AND the next myaor of south bend. Like KFC that only does chicken right, why not just try to do one thing right...like being a good policeman...It is not completely his fault though, every daddy wants to coach his son, it is the fault of weak administrators for allowing daddy politics to slide into south bend...so much for the hall of fame coach eh?

Friday, Aug 8 at 9:39 PM The mother of a student-athlete wrote ...

These men need to wake up and realize who this REALLY hurts!! These young men give, blood, sweat, and tears! Many of them wil not be able to go to college unless they do a great job on the field!! (my son is one of them) I dont blame the Coach for doing what he did! The NEW Athletic Dir. should allow this hall of fame coach(and yes he is in the hall of fame) to do his job!!! He is the best thing to happen to Adams football since the 1980's! It sounds like the NEW A.D. has screwed up big time!!!

Friday, Aug 8 at 9:38 PM TRACY SOUTH BEND wrote ...

ELMER BRITTON IS AND WILL ALWAYS BE A LEGENDARY COACH, HE IS NOT OLD AND CROCHETY!!! I SHOULD KNOW I HAVE TALKED TO THE MAN EVERY DAY HE HAS BEEN AT ADAMS. COACH BRITTON WE LOVE AND RESPECT YOU AND NO COACH OF YOUR CALIBER SHOULD HAVE BEEN TREATED THE WAY YOU WERE. I'M ONLY SORRY I DID'NT GET ADAMS BEFORE YOU LEFT. YOU HAVE GIVEN MY SON SO MUCH, SO I HOPE YOU READ THIS TO KNOW HOW THANKFUL WE ARE THAT YOU CAME TO ADAMS.

Friday, Aug 8 at 8:34 PM Hall of Fame Coach wrote ...

Elmer Britton is in the Indiana Football Hall of Fame with 241 wins. He has an incredible work ethic and was strapped with an inexperienced staff this year. Maybe they should have given him 18-19 reasons why "they" needed him. Another terrible black mark on the SBCSC. Come on people. The man won 5 games last year and was poised to win 7-8 this year! Evals are given within 30 days of the end of the season. Who wanted his job and why? Get to the real reason behind this debacle!!

Friday, Aug 8 at 7:49 PM Indian wrote ...

I am sure Derek Dieter and the principal had a major hand in this decision. Adams does a nice job recruiting students from other schools now they can go recruit a coach. St. Joe will clean your clock the first game.

Friday, Aug 8 at 7:26 PM NIC Coach wrote ...

Coach Britton has coached for over 35 years. He is a Hall of Fame coach. He does not need administrators to tell him how to run a program. He has been successfull at every school he has been at and was turning Adams into a program to be proud of. Adams was lucky to have a Hall of Fame coach running their program. He did not need Adams, but the kids did. The biggest immediate losers are the kids. I for one will never coach in a South Bend school. It is a career killer.

Friday, Aug 8 at 5:39 PM Anonymous wrote ...

I support the AD at Adams and the corporate AD. From what I heard, the coach was a crochety old man who didn't want to follow policy. Out with the old fart and in with the new. It is nice to see someone with enough gumption to make the old guy get in step. Obviously he did not want to follow the rules or policies of the corporation.

Friday, Aug 8 at 4:08 PM Anonymous wrote ...

It would be nice to see the media outlets ask the tough questions for once. Just like the George McColor/Frank Amato debacle a year ago, the Tribune, local tv stations, Sportsbeat hosts stick to vapid puff pieces. There is something here, people are interested, do your jobs. I realize the SBSC, Whitacre, Groves and co. will stonewall, but who cares? Embarass and expose them for the incompetents they are until they resign for once! They either answer to the public they work for or leave.

Friday, Aug 8 at 2:29 PM Anonymous wrote ...

hey Ed maybe there is more to the recent IHSAA's reprimands that you and I do not know about-heaven forbid a news outlet in this town ever did an investigative follow up. I thought the issues were no big deal according to the piece in the paper a couple weeks ago...hmmm

Friday, Aug 8 at 2:24 PM Leteral Transfer wrote ...

Wow, great timing. Yet another black mark for the South Bend School Corp. Hmmm. His statement said he didn't have the team "hit" enough in practice. Perhaps there is a place for him on the ND staff. Anything to get another dream season like the Irish had last year. It still brings a smile to my face!

Friday, Aug 8 at 1:10 PM Nice timing wrote ...

So the school's AD and the corporation's AD waited until 2 weeks to present these "concerns" to the head coach? Great sense of timing, guys. Unless one of those concerns involved some highly inappropriate behavior, this could have waited until after the season.

Friday, Aug 8 at 1:03 PM Ed , So. Bend wrote ...

Now the School Board is running the Football Coaches off with there demands. This School System needs somebody to come in and tell this Board that they are to observe and make recommendations to the Superintedent only. They don't and shouldn't think they run the show. We are in the shape we are mainly due to them. All of them should resign in disgrace. They have ruined this school system and hurt south Bend in the process. Somebody (MR.MAYOR) better WAKE UP....

Add a comment

Name:

Comment: 500 Characters Left

Comments are moderated and will not appear on this story until after they have been reviewed and deemed appropriate for posting.

WSBT and its affiliated companies are not responsible for the content of comments posted or for anything arising out of use of the above comments or other interaction among the users. We reserve the right to screen, refuse to post, remove or edit user-generated content at any time and for any or no reason in our absolute and sole discretion without prior notice, although we have no duty to do so or to monitor any Public Forum.
Countdown to Digital TV:

WSBT Weather

icon
Current Temp 23
°
More Weather

On Demand

More On Demand

Stock Quotes
This content requires the latest Adobe Flash Player and a browser with JavaScript enabled. Click here for a free download of the latest Adobe Flash Player.

Tonight On WSBTFull Schedule

7.00
Wheel of Fortune
7.30
Jeopardy!
8.00
NCIS
9.00
The Mentalist
10.00
Without A Trace
11.00
WSBT News
11.35
Late Show with David Letterman

Question of The Day

Do you think Notre Dame should keep Charlie Weis?

E-mail your comments. We'll pick some to read during WSBT News at 5.

  • Yes
  • No