Bluffton volleyball coach Al Stern retires

Al Stern, Bluffton High School's longtime volleyball coach who oversaw the construction and rise of one of the school's most successful programs, is retiring.

Stern, 80, confirmed the decision Thursday after a job listing for the head varsity coaching position was posted online earlier this month.

"Mentally I'm fine, but physically I just can't do it the way I want to," Stern said. "That isn't fair to the girls. That was the major decision."

Stern has battled some health issues over the past few seasons, even missing some time on the sideline. Travel was the hardest part, something that factored into his decision to step back from the head coaching role.

In 11 years, Stern oversaw what Bluffton athletics director Dave Adams called the school's most successful team. The team won a state championship in 2007, just three years after the school opened. The Bobcats also won lower state championships in 2005 and 2009. He did it with an old-school mentality that Adams said worried some upon his hiring. It was that attitude toward instruction -- and life -- that ultimately made Stern and his players so outstanding as a unit.

"Quite honestly, I didn't know any other way to do it," Stern said of his style. "I spent 28 years in the military. I was just disciplined to start with. I had to learn a lot about coaching females. Not in terms of competitiveness, but the way girls really want to be part of a team, be inclusive. I think saying, 'OK, here's the standards we're going to live by' actually helped."

Adams said Stern had an impact both on the team and on the rest of the school's coaches, who saw that implementing a disciplined style, built around organization and efficiency in practices, would work.

"You could learn a lot for your practices by watching his practices," Adams said.

Assistant coach Tina Franklin will take over as the interim coach, Adams said, and he hopes to make a hire sometime in June.

Now, Stern will have the chance to recuperate and relax -- sort of. He'll stay active in the club volleyball scene, where he isn't required to travel unless he wants to. He plans on attending all of Bluffton's home games, and he's even told Franklin that if she ever needs help, just call.

He'll miss the connection he's established year after year with dozens of students.

"I'm going to miss them terribly," Stern said. "What kept me coaching was the girls. This was our family."

Follow sports reporter Kendall Salter on Twitter at twitter.com/IPBG_Kendall.

This story was originally published April 30, 2015 at 10:13 AM with the headline "Bluffton volleyball coach Al Stern retires."