Battery Creek football coach steps down to care for ailing parents

Battery Creek football coach Jim Shuman has resigned after five years leading the program, stepping aside to devote more time to his ailing parents.

“It’s hard to walk away from something you really love, especially when I felt like we could have a very good season next year,” Shuman said Monday.

“It wasn’t a quick decision. I talked with a lot of folks and got support from pastors and so forth. Ultimately I truly felt like I just need to focus on my family for a season.”

Shuman’s 89-year-old father, Irwin, has been receiving hospice care for several months with heart problems and recently suffered a stroke. His mother, Dianne, has undergone four surgeries since November for intestinal complications.

Though they live only about 45 minutes away in Hampton, the time factor had become tough to ignore.

“I am an only child to a really sick father and mother,” Shuman said. “It just became too hard to try and juggle a family and running a football program the way it needs to be run. ... I can get other jobs, but I can’t get other parents.”

Battery Creek athletic director John Drafts accepted Shuman’s resignation a week ago, though not without trying to find a way to work through the situation.

“I told him, ‘Jim, knowing you, I don’t know if I can talk you out of it, but I’d love to,’” Drafts said. “He will be sorely missed in that role. He is great with the kids, a tireless worker – but most importantly, he is a person of unquestioned character.”

The vacancy already has been posted on multiple websites, and Drafts said several résumés already have been received. He indicated candidates from both inside and outside the program would be considered, but there is no timetable for a hire.

Spring football can begin as early as May 2, though Drafts said the Dolphins very likely would go late in the calendar to allow a new coach to assemble a staff.

“Hopefully things will be in place soon enough,” the AD said.

Shuman compiled an 18-36 record at Battery Creek, taking the Dolphins to the Class 2-A playoffs in three of his five seasons. Their best season came in 2012, when the Dolphins reached the second round before being eliminated by Loris.

Battery Creek went 4-7 last year, reaching the playoffs but ousted in the opening round by Timberland.

“I hate leaving my players. I have great assistant coaches,” said Shuman, noting that he met with most of his players individually to give them the news. “The players have known since this past season that my parents aren’t doing that well.

“Of course where was disappointment, but I wanted them to clearly know that it had nothing to do with not wanting to coach them. It dealt strictly with what I needed to do for me as a son.”

Shuman said he came to the conclusion the situation was unworkable as he tried to supervise the Dolphins’ offseason weight program.

“It just became really hard for me to do what I want to do here,” he said. “Whether it was missing weights or miss going to my parents, it became a situation where it had become unfair to both.

“It really boiled down to five years from now, can I say I really did the right thing for my family.”

This story was originally published March 22, 2016 at 12:29 AM with the headline "Battery Creek football coach steps down to care for ailing parents."