Legendary DeMatha (Md.) Football Coach McGregor Resigns After 39 Years

March 29, 2011 / Football

Bill McGregor, who built a football program at DeMatha to rival the legendary basketball program at the Hyattsville private school, resigned Monday after 39 seasons, including 29 as head coach.

“I’ve been at it a long time,” McGregor said. “Other opportunities have come up. I want to do something else with my life. There are other things out there that are very appealing right now. If I had waited, those opportunities might not be there in the future.”

McGregor, 62, refused to reveal his next stop. He is rumored to be headed for a job at the Gilman School in Baltimore. McGregor said he would not be coaching football next year. He didn’t rule out a return to the sidelines, though.

“I may miss it so much that I’ll be back in a year,” McGregor said. “I may never come back at all. This is what this move is about, to find out what I really want to do.”

McGregor steps down with a 270-37-3 record and 17 titles in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference. More than 350 of his players received scholarships to Division I schools. The last two seasons, DeMatha had seven alumni in the NFL, more than any other high school in the nation.

“Bill McGregor is the finest football coach in DeMatha history,” DeMatha principal Dan McMahon said in a message posted on the school website. “He is an exceptional man who has given nearly 40 years of his life to DeMatha’s mission. He has always represented us in the best way.”

He decided last week to step down. On Monday after school, McGregor told his players of his decision. McGregor said he has no health problems. On a recent trip to the DeMatha weight room, he bench-pressed 300 pounds.

Since he was in seventh grade in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, football has been a constant in McGregor’s life. After playing linebacker at John Carroll University, McGregor moved to the Washington area to teach at Good Counsel. A semester later, McGregor was hired by DeMatha to coach junior varsity football and baseball and run the weight room.

In six seasons as varsity baseball coach, McGregor led DeMatha to a 95-26 record and won four conference championships.

McGregor’s last year was difficult. The Stags went 9-3 and suffered the worst loss of his tenure — 42-3 to Good Counsel in the WCAC title game. On signing day last month, the nation’s top-ranked player, DeMatha tackle Cyrus Kouandjio, announced on ESPN he would play at Auburn but later decided to sign with Alabama.

“The only pressure I ever felt was self-imposed,” McGregor said. “The administration has been totally supportive and great with me for as long as I’ve been here.”


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