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Sports

Wootton's Tolliver Resigns After Second Season as Head Football Coach

Eddie Tolliver steps down following the Patriots' 4-6 2011 season.

After two years of serving as the head football coach at Wootton High School, Eddie Tolliver has resigned effective immediately, Tolliver confirmed in an interview with Patch on Monday evening.

"I just think it is time," Tolliver said in a phone interview on Monday. "After being the head coach for two years and being in the program for seven, in order for the program to move forward, I think they just need a fresh voice."

Tolliver said he announced his resignation on Monday to school Principal Dr. Michael Doran and other members of the school's administration and then called a team meeting where he informed his players that he was no longer their football coach. 

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Tolliver spent five years as an assistant under then-coach Greg Malling. Tolliver took over as head coach prior to the 2010 season and in 20 games as head coach, he amassed a career record of 6-14, including a 4-6 campaign in 2011. The Patriots' four wins were the most in a single-season for the school since 2008 when they finished 7-3 in the regular season and went to the playoffs. It was the school's only winning season since 1991.

"It was one of those 'if not now, when?' type situations," said Tolliver, who is also a member of the school's security staff and plans to remain in that position. "You don't want to be the guy that stays around just because."

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Christopher Thompson, Wootton's athletic director, declined to elaborate more on Tolliver's resignation but stated that the school "will begin looking for a new coach in the next few months."

While Tolliver's teams haven't enjoyed as much success in terms of wins and losses as he would have liked under his tenure, Tolliver said that had nothing to do with his decision and that when he looks back at his career, he doesn't measure his own success based on that factor alone.

"I really don't measure my success on wins and losses," Tolliver said. "Ask me three or four years down the road about a kid and how he's progressing as a man. That's what I look at most. Have I affected their life in a positive way?"

As far as his plans to one day return to high school coaching, Tolliver said he hasn't thought that far ahead. For now, though, he plans to spend more time with his family. Tolliver has three children -- two sons of 15 and 18 years as well as a 14-year-old daughter. While Tolliver didn't specifically state that his family was the driving factor in his decision, it did weigh in.

The team's senior quarterback this past season, Chris Papadopoulos, who finished third in the entire DC area and first in the county in passing with 2283 yards and also had 18 touchdown passes, said that if and when Tolliver coaches again, he believes the players of that team will be getting a dedicated coach.

"Wherever he ends up next and wherever that is, they will be getting a coach who gives it 110 percent every day, 365 days a year," Papadopoulos said.

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