Charlotte Country Day football coach Bob Witman resigns after 35 years

After a 35-year high school football coaching career, Charlotte Country Day’s Bob Witman decided it was time to stop.

The school announced his resignation Monday. Country Day officials said they would begin trying to fill the position this week and hoped to have a new coach in place by mid-April.

Witman, 64, was 219-67 in 25 years at Country Day, where he won eight N.C. Independent Schools state championships, including seven from 1993 through 2004. The Bucs’ last state title came in 2010. Witman will work through the end of the school year to help manage the football transition.

“I just felt it was time,” he said. “This school’s been good to me and there’s nothing in particular happening over here that caused that decision to happen. I’ll be 65 years old and I’ve been doing this for a long time, and I figured it was time for a break.”

Witman has a 35-year coaching record of 267-97-1. Since 2000, he has sent more than 50 players to college on scholarship.

“Coach Witman has been a role model and mentor to many, many students during his tenure at Country Day,” headmaster Mark Reed said. “On the field, he has a winning record that would be the envy of many coaches, and off the field he has developed in students a sense of honor, integrity and leadership that extends far beyond athletics.

“He has left an indelible impact on our school and we are forever grateful for his service.”

Witman’s son, Drew, played for him in 2003-05 and is now an assistant coach at Myers Park. Bob Witman said he wasn’t sure if his son would be interested in succeeding him but thought Country Day would continue to be a strong program.

“I think (Drew) will be a head coach sooner than later,” Bob Witman said. “I do know he’s happy at Myers Park. I don’t know if it’s good timing for him to leave. That’s up to him.

“But I do see Charlotte Country Day continuing to be strong. The competition has ratcheted up in our league the last few years and we have some work to do to match the physicality of our conference, but I think we have the athletes in the school to do it.”

SouthLake Christian: Long snapper Chris Lutzel has committed to Baylor.

Basketball

Butler is in the NCHSAA 4A West playoffs as a No. 2 seed, the highest in school history. The Bulldogs could host three playoff games this week if it keeps winning.

Butler (21-3) will play Skyland Roberson (6-17) Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the first round. Roberson is seeded 31st of 32 N.C. 4A West teams.

▪ Butler raised more than $600 in its first “Coaches vs. Cancer” fundraiser. Proceeds went to the American Cancer Foundation. Donations can still be made via butlerbulldogs.com

▪ A local McDonald’s will be on site at Weddington’s girls’ playoff game Monday at 6 p.m. to honor McDonald’s All-American Stephanie Watts. She will play in the 38th annual McDonald’s All-American game April 1 at Chicago’s United Center.

Wrestling

Three Mecklenburg County wrestlers won N.C. High School Athletic Associations championships at the Greensboro Coliseum on Saturday. They were the first county winners since 2008.

In 4A, Hough’s Jordan Thompson won at 182 pounds and finished 51-1 for the season. At 160 pounds, Mallard Creek’s Waddell McNeely won the championship, finishing his season at 57-4.

In 1A, Queens Grant’s Nic Mitchell, one of the first two wrestlers from his school to qualify for the state championships, polished off an unbeaten season at 138 pounds. Mitchell finished 33-0.

Hough finished fifth in the team competition.

At the N.C. Independent Schools finals, Charlotte Latin’s Michael McClelland (106), Billy McClelland (132) and Toby Okwara (285) won state titles. Charlotte Christian’s Charlie Rand won at 160.

SouthLake Christian had five wrestlers win state titles: DJ Wilson (182), Hamilton Hewitt (145), Dylan Boone (113), Hunter Allen (195) and Adam Edwards (126). Hewitt won his fourth straight state title and SouthLake finished second behind four-time 3A champ Charlotte Latin.

Charlotte Latin won the NCISAA title, its fourth straight. SouthLake Christian was second.

This story was originally published February 24, 2015 at 12:02 AM with the headline "Charlotte Country Day football coach Bob Witman resigns after 35 years."