Bill Bacon, who has coached the Dreher High School football team for the past 11 seasons, will step down at the conclusion of the season.

Bacon submitted his resignation in October and informed his team following its loss to Airport on Oct. 23.

“It is something that has been nagging at me all year,” Bacon said of his decision. “The kids could tell I was in an off–mood for a while. After I made the final decision, I had the perfect speech to give to the guys, but I broke down when I talked to them and couldn’t give it.”

Bacon wasn’t the only emotional one in that locker room.

“It was shocking – very shocking news,” Dreher standout running back Leonard Kennedy said after he led the Blue Devils into the playoffs with a victory against Swansea on Oct. 30. “We got together as a team in the locker room after he told us, and we talked about what he meant to us and how we wanted to win (the Swansea) game for him.”

The 35–14 victory gave Dreher its first playoff berth since 2006 and its third during Bacon’s tenure; he is 40–72 as the Blue Devils’ coach. Dreher will play at top–ranked Marlboro County in the Class 3A first round on Friday, a matchup that figures to have the Blue Devils at a distinct disadvantage.

It is those disadvantages, according to Bacon, that led to his decision – specifically Dreher’s lack of a weightlifting class and his inability to land several coaching staff candidates in recent years.

“I’m not mad at anybody; I don’t blame anybody,” Bacon said. “The administration and district have to worry about (academic) test scores, (state) grades and budgets. In the overall picture, a weightlifting class and the other stuff is low on the priority list. I understand that.

“It came down to a situation where I didn’t feel our kids had the same kind of advantages that the kids at the schools we were playing had. I figured I didn’t have much of a chance to change the situation.”

Bacon said the decision to step down was his alone and that neither school nor district officials played a role. Bacon’s resignation comes one year after his brother, Robin, stepped down as coach of A.C. Flora, another Richland District 1 school, after 10 seasons. Bacon said the circumstances surrounding his brother’s departure from A.C. Flora also had no bearing on his decision.

Bacon plans to continue teaching history and political science at Dreher through the remainder of the school year and then look for another job. He said he has no desire to relocate because of his ties to Columbia. He graduated from Richland Northeast and the family of his wife, Trisha, lives in Sumter. His two oldest children, Tori and Katie, are students at Dent Middle School. He wants to continue coaching, likely as an assistant, at least until his son, Kyle (age 3), graduates.

“I enjoy teaching, but coaching is what brought me into this profession,” Bacon said. “I tell the kids all the time: My day becomes a great day at 3:16 p.m. – when I get on the field.”

Bacon had no problem identifying the great parts of his tenure at Dreher. Thirty–five players have gone on to play college football, including some, according to Bacon, who were the first members of their families to attend college. Curtis Sharp, who graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy, and Tremaine Billie, who graduated from Clemson, are among the 35. He also pointed to the team’s 3.11 GPA in the first marking period this year.

“We’ve had great kids in the program,” Bacon said. “Sometimes, they’re not the most talented, but we’ve had a rough three years and only one kid has quit. Our kids go out, regardless of sport, and play hard the full four quarters. Later in life, that’s going to help them, because when they run into adverse situations, they are going to be able to handle it.”

“We could have fallen apart as a team in so many ways and so many times over the years, but we didn’t because of him,” senior Rashon Fenderson said. “Coach is the heart of this team. We wouldn’t be the players we are now if not for him.”

While Bacon had not yet heard from many former players given that his resignation has been kept largely within the athletic program, he said he has had many parents of current players thank him for being a part of their child’s life. He tells them they have it backward.

“I thank them for letting me be a part of their child’s life,” he said. “When I got into this profession, Mike Sisk (a former coach and current A.C. Flora athletics director) told me to make sure you treat these kids like you treat your own. I’ve always tried to do that. A lot of these kids come from tough situations and they need positive role models.”

Based on his players’ sentiments, he succeeded: All used the word father to describe him.

“My dad wasn’t there when I was growing up,” said Sheldon Van Dyke, who, along with his twin Shane, is a senior. “When I came to Dreher, he looked after me. If I didn’t have money for lunch, he gave it to me. If I didn’t have a ride home; he gave me one. There was one time at a weightlifting competition, I got cheated. They said I hadn’t completed the broad jump when I had. (Competitors participate in the bench press, squat, 40 dash and broad jump.) When I told coach Bacon what was going on, he told me to let him worry about. The next week a medal came in the mail. That’s just one example of how he fights for me; fights for all of us.”

The players know, however, that they have to give him something to fight for or with, and when they don’t they have to answer to him – usually with a visit to the tire pile behind the school.

“They hate flipping those large tires,” Bacon said.

“He’ll talk to you like a father when you do well and when you mess up,” said senior Farrington Huegenin, without indicating whether he ever had to flip the tires.

So it was fitting, that Bacon’s last home game as coach was the team’s senior night, which was marked by a pregame ceremony in which each of the 22 seniors and family members were recognized on the field. Part of the ceremony consisted of handshakes and hugs with Bacon: a rare moment in which private affection was made public.