Greg Swaim
02-10-2006, 04:19 PM
Word is that Kirk Fredrich, who has been the coach at Stillwater the past several years, has told his squad that he will be the new coach at Owasso. We'd heard that he'd applied at Tulsa Union, where he used to be an assistant, but apparently he felt he'd have a better chance to get the job at Owasso.
Stillwater is a tough place to win and with huge facility upgrades at other 6A programs, the Pioneers are quickly falling further behind.
PawneeSports
02-10-2006, 10:09 PM
Wow, the Stillwater NewPress put this one up on their website so quick...I check at 11:09 tonight.
Stillwater High football coach leaving
Written by: Jacob Longan, Staff Writer
Published: 02-11-2006
Stillwater High football coach Kirk Fridrich announced to his team Friday that he plans to accept the head coaching position in Owasso.
“We had a team meeting and he informed the staff and he indicated his intentions and kind of laid down what was expected of them as we try to carry on for next season,” said assistant coach Rusty Atkins. “It kind of hit everyone in the back of the head a little bit.”
Fridrich and SHS Athletic Director Mike Simpson declined comment.
Bill Defee, an history teacher at Stillwater High and the head coach before Fridrich, said he had no plans to return.
“No interest,” Defee said. “Nothing has changed.”
Defee coached 19 seasons before retiring, as the school’s winningest coach, in January 2002. He compiled a 152-67 record with 17 playoff berths.
Fridrich “seemed to work well with people and was able to go to the playoffs three out of his four years,” Defee said. “He preferred to be somewhere else, apparently. More power to him. I wish him well.”
Tyral Kearney was a junior cornerback and running back for the Pioneers last season, when the club finished 7-4, losing to Broken Arrow in the first round of the playoffs.
“We are very heartbroken about the whole situation,” Kearney said. “We thought he was staying put for one more year. We were definitely wanting him to come back.”
Zac Green, a sophomore offensive lineman, said he wasn’t surprised.
“I was disappointed but I knew it was coming,” Green said. “I figured after (the) Owasso and (Tulsa) Union jobs both came open, I knew that he was going to get one of those probably. He was a pretty good coach and I liked him as a person and as a coach.”
Fridrich guided the program to a 28-16 record in four seasons, with two first-round playoff exits and a trip to the 6A quarterfinals during a 9-3 campaign in 2004.
He replaced Defee after nine years as an assistant at Tulsa Union. Fridrich had been Union’s defensive coordinator before accepting the SHS job.
Fridrich was promoted to assistant athletic director and district wellness coordinator prior to the start of the school year.
It is anticipated he will be hired by the Owasso school board Monday.
The Rams lost to eventual state champion Tulsa Union in the first round of the playoffs, finishing 7-4. Head coach Ron Smith resigned following the season and accepted the head position in Bartlesville.