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The Southwest Times Sunday, November
10, 2002
Coach
Joel Hicks retires
DUBLIN -- More than just a football season came to a close last Friday evening for Pulaski County High School. It was also the final game in the 38-year coaching career of Cougar head coach Joel Hicks. Yes, Hicks has decided to retire. He announced once before that he was retiring, but that was an emotional, immediate decision. He very correctly changed his mind. This is different. His mind will not change this time. This is a well thought out, calculated decision. It was, however, an extremely difficult decision for Hicks. It's hard to leave something you have been doing all your adult life. "I love football. I loved playing it, and I loved coaching it, but it's time," he said earlier this week. "I'm happy I got the 300 wins. That's something any coach would love to have as a milestone, and I'll always remember my career as a success because of those 301 wins. It's something I'm extremely proud of." Hicks is also very proud of the football program at Pulaski County and he wants his retirement not to be an upheaval, but a smooth process that doesn't disturb the structure of the program. "I certainly hope that one of the guys on the staff gets the head coaching position. That's the way it should be. We need for the Pulaski County family to stay together. There's some good men in that coaching office. They are very qualified, hard working people. All of them need to stay right there. It would be in the best interest of the school if they do." "I will help the staff any way I can, and they know that. I will always be close to the program. They know they can lean on me. If they need somebody to wash the uniforms, I'll help. I'm hoping for a very smooth turnover, but I am done. My coaching career is over," said Hicks. Hicks does not plan to leave Pulaski County in his retirement. "First of all, I'll be in the school system one more year, and that's fine with me. I love Pulaski County. My years in this school system have been some of the best years of my life. I am thankful to have worked with so many outstanding people. Pulaski County has been great for me and my family. I have no regrets. I loved every minute of it. It's very, very hard to do this, but it's time." "If I was 50 years old I'd already be back in there getting ready to go to battle again next season, but I'm not. I'm almost 62. I don't know how to do it half way. And each year it has gotten harder. The nerves just aren't what they used to be, and I do not want to coach too long. That's not fair to the school, the kids, and to me either. Now is the right time. I have coached my last football game," said Hicks. What will Hicks do? "Nothing all that exciting," he says. "There are a few races around the country I would really love to run in, and I don't have much time left, so I better do it before this old body wears out. I think Melinda (wife) and I might do a little traveling to spend more time with our children and do some things we've talked about, but have never done. And I guess I could just sit around and talk football with some other old coaches in the pasture. But I need to rest. I need to relax. I really do, and now is the right time." There's also another reason, a major one --- loyalty to his staff. Most Cougar fans would assume that Hicks would never end his career after a 5-5 season, but that's precisely why he is doing it. "We got off to a real bad start this past season. We were so young, and all sorts of other things too, but the kids came around. Pulaski County will have a better football team next year. I want the next head coach to start off with a good season. I did not want to stay, have a good season, and then leave following that season knowing that the next coach would have very little returning for his first year. I would never do that to these guys. I respect their work and their friendship too much. I did not want to be selfish. I care too much about Cougar football for that," added Hicks. But Hicks also says there needs to be some caution as far as the future of Pulaski County football is concerned. "The schedules for the nest two years are going to be tough. Our dropping enrollment has started to become a factor. It has made things tougher. We don't have as much talent as we did in the 80s and 90s, and we don't have as much depth either. Our fans and everyone involved need to realize this. It's not going to get easier. It's going to get tougher." It's certainly going to be tough for a coach to ever match the history of Hicks' success at Pulaski County. He closes this career in "Cougarland" with 15 district championships in 24 seasons and three perfect 10-0 seasons. Eight times his teams won 10 or more games in a season, and 12 times his Cougar teams won nine or more games in a season. His teams won six region titles, played in three state championship games, and in 1992 defeated Thomas Dale to capture the Group AAA, Division 6 state championship. Over 24 years his teams played almost four additional seasons of football during the playoffs. Hicks' teams played 39 state playoff games, and won 23 of them. Hicks led the Cougar football program into the state playoffs 17 times, 71 percent of the time. There are few programs at any level that can match that consistent level of success in Virginia. Those numbers are almost too good to believe, and so is his entire career. Hicks has been a high school head coach for 36 of his 38-year career. He finishes with 301 wins, and 209 of those came at Pulaski County. Hicks is the winningest coach in any sport of Pulaski County's athletic history. He finishes averaging 8.7 wins a season for his 24 years at PCHS, and 8.4 wins a season for his career. With such terrific numbers, one would assume he is a lock for the "Virginia High School Coaches Assoc. Hall of Fame." But now the greatest period of sporting success in Pulaski County history is over. Hicks says his lasting memory will be of the people and their tremendous loyalty. "I know I've said it many, many times before, but I loved coaching Pulaski County's young men. I hope all of them realize that I appreciated them being a part of our program regardless if they ever started a game or not. There are some special people I need to thank, like Charley Ward, Dr. Dix Williams, Ken Dobson, and all the great guys in the Touchdown Club. People have no idea how much that organization means to this program, and how hard they work. "There are guys in that club, and I know some other fans too, that in all my 24 years they never missed a single game. They traveled the roads and supported in every way they could possibly think of. I owe them so much. The administrations here at the high school during my time have always been very supportive and a pleasure to work with. The school has always had a good understanding of what we were trying to accomplish in our program. our school has been super. The fans have been great. There are so many things that run through your mind, wonderful memories, at a time like this, that I'm afraid I have not thanked somebody. I hope everyone knows how appreciative I am of their help and support," said Hicks. And Hicks will always have a special place in his heart for his coaching staff. "You know, people spend too much time talking about what we do not have in Pulaski County, but I do know one thing we have, and that's pride. Rodney Landreth, Jack Turner, Perry Reese, Randy Dunnigan, Doug Dunavant and Eric Berry have pride. They all graduated from Pulaski County, played football for me, went to college, and every one of them came back home to help me coach our program. There is a great work ethic and a ton of pride in that bunch." "They are special to me. It was also special to get to coach my son, T.J., for a couple of seasons. I'm very proud of him. That was very meaningful to me." But there is one person that stands out above the rest, it would be his wife, Melinda. "Nobody could possibly know what a football coach's wife goes through, especially my wife and for so many years. Melinda has been my rock. More than anyone could know, she has been my driving force. Many times over the years when I wanted to drop my head, she would kick me out of the house and say 'get up to that fieldhouse and breakdown that film,' or 'get your practice plans ready.' Many times when I thought I couldn't do it anymore, she always knew I could. She has always been the love of my life, and I could not have made it without her. I've said it before." "If not for Melinda, I would have probably ended up in a pool hall in Richwood, West Virginia. She means all the world to me," said Hicks. And as the old coach left the locker room headed for home on this cool, rainy day, he turned, smiled, and said, "The only possible way it could have been better is if Pulaski County had won them all." But one thing is for sure, the man in charge for the past 24 years won more than most, and he certainly tried his very best to win them all.
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