Thursday, July 18, 2013

UPDATE: Lockhart approved for Summit AD job

After serving for less than two years in what was once considered his dream job, Bob Lockhart is officially leaving his post as the athletic director at Warren Hills Regional High School.

As first reported by Open Mike, Lockhart was approved as the new athletic director at Summit High School during Wednesday night's board of education meeting.

"We were impressed with his strong commitment to the student athlete," Summit superintendent Dr. Nathan Parker told the Summit Patch.com. "He stressed safety, caring for kids and making sure they had proper support."

While at Warren Hills, Lockhart, in addition to being the AD, was head of the Health and Physical Education department, as well as facilities coordinator while also overseeing all of Blue Streaks' athletic clubs. Recently, Summit split its AD and head of health and phys ed positions.

Lockhart, who replaces Mike Shandor as AD, also earned a substantial pay raise with the move to Summit, where he was hired at a salary of $129,600.

"I wore a lot of hats at Warren Hills," Lockhart said recently in an exclusive interview with Open Mike. "[Summit] made me an offer I couldn't refuse. Just being an athletic director. [At Warren Hills] you can't concentrate on just sports. I mean, you can, but not the way I'd like to. My vision of what athletics should be matches Summit better than Warren Hills."

Lockhart, who was among 91 candidates for the Summit job, said he was to meet with Warren Hills superintendent Dr. Thomas Altonjy to discuss the possibility of leaving the school sooner than his 60-day notice as required by law. Lockhart said he hopes to be on the job at Summit on Sept. 1, but acknowledges that the starting date could be as late as Sept. 18.

It's hard to imagine Warren Hills without Lockhart, a Warren Hills alum and former highly successful football coach, who was turned down for the AD's job at the end of 2010. Instead, the Warren County school hired Clegg "Buddy" Freund, who was removed from the building at the start of the following school year. School administrators said that Freund, who was involved in a sexual assault coverup at Roxbury High School while employed as its AD in 2003, resigned for "health reasons."

"I'm just happy it happened," Lockhart said after being hired as AD in 2011. "It was something I've wanted and I'm excited to have the opportunity now."

But those feelings dwindled in a relatively short period of time. The added responsibilities in addition to his athletic department duties eventually took their toll on a man, who by his own admission, "Bleeds Blue and White."

"I very much have mixed feelings [about leaving]," Lockhart said. "I really enjoy the people I work with. I've been a member of the faculty for 31 years. It wasn't easy and it won't be easy [to leave], when the day comes. There are other factors that I don't want to get into. I feel it's necessary to leave. It's a good move for me and my family."

Make no mistake, this decision, regardless of it being a better position, was not an easy one. Lockhart loves Warren Hills and his coaches loved having him as their boss.

The stunning news that Lockhart, who began his tenure as AD on Nov. 21, 2011, is leaving his alma mater this fall has already begun resonating throughout the building in Washington Township.

"He's a great mentor and a great leader," said Warren Hills boys soccer and baseball coach Mike Quinto. "If you screw up and make mistakes, he's going to tell you. But you always knew where you stood with him. He's been a coach and knows what it's like for us. He's a true professional."

Quinto said he fully understands why Lockhart is leaving and wishes him nothing but the best. Nonetheless, Quinto said it's a sad day for Warren Hills athletics.

"It's very disappointing," Quinto said. "It hurts me, but I don't blame him. He does a great job as athletic director. He's a coaches' athletic director. Coaches all have different personalities and he knew how to deal with all of them. We're losing a piece of Warren Hills."

Quinto said that Summit sent some administrators and coaches to Warren Hills on a fact-finding mission to see if Lockhart was as real as he came across during interviews with the Union County school. Naturally, Lockhart inquired to Quinto about what he told them. But Quinto couldn't find the words, literally.

"I started to tell him, but I got all choked up and had to excuse myself," Quinto said.

That's how much Bob Lockhart, a 1977 graduate and former star quarterback, means to Warren Hills. The Warren County school is losing a great one.

"If I have a day off, I will be there watching [sporting events]," Lockhart said. "I'm not going to stop bleeding Blue. I wish everybody there the best."

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