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| Lafayette football coach Andy Linn has amassed a record of 56-8 as the Rams head whistle. 2016 will be his last season as he prepares to move up to Athletic Director |
As seen on ultimaterecruit.com
To say that Lafayette football coach Andy Linn’s ascent to the Athletic Director position at his school had any kind of purposeful structure behind it would be a misnomer. However, upon further review, it makes perfect sense.
Asked if outgoing director Dan Barner and himself had ever talked about a possible transition, Linn, who was approved by the Williamsburg-James City County school board for his new position on Tuesday, said, “We used to talk about it very early on (his teaching career at Lafayette, which started in 1998). But it was never a discussion like, this is going to be your job someday,” he added. Linn will remain as the Rams football coach for one more season before devoting all of his energy to the administrative side of athletics.
The history between Linn and the outgoing Athletic Director goes a much longer way than many people may realize.
“Yes, during those first seven years (1990-1997), I was at Berkeley as a teacher and athletic director, and Dan (Barner) was the AD at James Blair. He helped me at the middle school level and was the guy that I called for help early on.”
Eventually, Barner took the AD job at Lafayette, and a year later, Linn came aboard as a physical education and health teacher, as well as assistant football coach.
It was ironic how the two stayed together at Lafayette for so many years, especially as Linn proved to be an instrumental part of the Rams’ gridiron success with the development of his offensive linemen. How come he didn’t move up to the head whistle sooner?
“I’m kind of a loyal guy,” said Linn, who spent 14 years as a football assistant before becoming the Rams’ head coach in 2011. “I could have applied for the Warhill job a couple of times or Jamestown on a couple of occasions. But I’m loyal to Lafayette and I was proud of what we had built.”
Eventually, Linn’s time came, and the former W&M lineman made a direct impact on the success of the Rams. Through his fifth year at the helm, Lafayette has sported a 56-8 record with four Bay Rivers District titles, a 3A state championship appearance (2014), and three consecutive undefeated seasons in the District with an ongoing 33-game winning streak
But fate was about to change Linn’s life, and even he was unaware of it.
“He (Barner) just decided that it was time (to retire),” said Linn of his former boss, who unexpectedly announced his retirement as the calendar was pushing May. Asked if he had given his eventual successor any hints of his plans to leave, or to give Linn a heads-up on the new job opening in W-JCC, Linn said no.
In an understatement, Linn added, “People rarely make a normal transition into a new job,” noting his own 19-year lapse between athletic department administrative positions.
And while Linn will be leaving the sidelines after next season, he is comfortable about leaving his program in the hands of current assistant coaches, such as Kyle Neve, Brian Sorrell and John Byron, who have served with him at Lafayette for many years, admitting that having them as current coaches “made a difference” when it came time to apply for the vacant AD position.
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