HOWARD — The East Knox Board of Education voted 3-2 to not renew the contract of boys basketball coach Ryan Powell at Thursday night’s meeting.
Despite numerous Powell supporters in attendance, the board cited concerns about the coach’s win-loss record and open communication with the players.
Powell compiled an 80-125 record in his nine seasons as head of the Bulldogs. East Knox was 6-17 this past season, 3-11 in the Knox Morrow Athletic Conference.
Superintendent Richard Baird was the lone administrator available for comment after the meeting.
“There was a recommendation to hire him (Powell) as basketball coach and the recommendation was not supported, three no and two yes,” Baird said. “It was not supported, so yes, he’s out.”
Powell, who has been at the helm of the program since 2017, left the meeting long before the vote was taken.
The nearly two-and-a-half-hour meeting concluded when Powell’s fate was finally decided in the last 20 minutes.
As the board was voting, from the gallery, Chuck Melick, a supporter of Powell, said, “It is a good thing you weren’t on the board when Chet Looney started, he wouldn’t have had a stadium named after him.”
Melick was referring to Chet Looney, a member of the Knox County Athletic Hall of Fame, In his 35 years at the helm of the Bulldog football program, Looney amassed 207 victories, the most of any head coach in Knox County history. In 1971, Looney’s first year, East Knox posted a 0-9 record. The East Knox football stadium now bears his name.
Another Powell supporter who spoke up at the meeting was junior varsity coach Ron Fannin, who has worked on the EK bench for eight years.
“Coach Powell still hasn’t been told of the main concerns; he has not been told directly,” Fannin said. “What were those concerns?
“It’s been brought up that some were disappointed with his relationship with his players. But there were six of his players here tonight, here to show support.”
