Terry McNichol Reacts To Dismissal

Terry McNichol received one of those life-changing calls last Monday, March 28. The long-time boys’ basketball coach was headed to the high school to get basketballs for open gym, when he received a call from Haverford athletic director Joanne Patterson. She had something to tell him. McNichol told her he’d be at the school in person in a few minutes — she could tell him then.

McNichol knew it was that time of year, possibly a parent with a beef about their son’s playing time. But when he walked into Patterson’s office, he could tell right away something was wrong. She told the Fords’ coach for the last 15 years that she had something to tell him — the Haverford School District opted not to renew his contract for next season. McNichol sat there stunned for a moment.

This was completely unexpected. That after 15 years of sacrifice, both personally and professionally, McNichol was told he would no longer be the Fords’ head basketball coach.

“I asked Joanne what was wrong and she told me she didn’t know, she thought it was the survey they hand out at the end of the season,” McNichol told the Haverford-Havertown Patch. His team went 6-16 last year, after going 3-19 the previous year. “She told me she’d like me to resign, because they wanted to give me an option and a chance to recommend me if I applied for another coaching position. I told her that I wanted to go out kicking and screaming. Joanne had her hand forced with this. I think the world of Joanne. She’s thorough and does everything you ask her to do. She tells you what’s on her mind and we had a great relationship.

“When we had problems, we hammered stuff out. But I wanted to talk to someone about this. I asked her if it had anything to do with wins and losses. It was my exit plan to walk away after I coached my son (Shane, a 2009 Haverford graduate), but I really loved the place. I had a great relationship with the principal and all the people who coached my kids. There was a great camaraderie among the coaches. It was a great place to work and coach. I got great insight from (football) coach (Joe) Gallagher and the other coaches there. I wanted to find out what was going on.”

In a about McNichol's dismissal, Patterson wrote in an e-mail response to Patch, "(It is a) personal issue, I will not comment."

So Tuesday, March 29, McNichol received a call from Haverford principal Dr. Jeffrey S. Nesbitt. The two spoke over the phone and McNichol still wanted to know what he did wrong.

McNichol said that Nesbitt then read over three of the surveys, which Haverford has instituted to players and parents over the last two years, and Nesbitt read over three complaints.

One stated that McNichol “whined too much to officials,” (though he and his wife, Mary Beth, also a basketball coach, were guest speakers at the Delaware County Chapter of Officials last year), another complaint alleged McNichol cursed at a player, which McNichol vehemently refute, and a third dealt with McNichol’s win-loss record.

“I’m a big boy, I told Dr. Nesbitt, I could take it if it was about wins and losses,” McNichol said. “He asked me to resign, too, and I asked him, like I asked Joanne if they approved of the program. They both said yes. I still wanted an answer why.”

In an e-mail to Patch Wednesday morning, Nesbitt said he could not comment on the matter.

McNichol never got one. He appealed on Friday to William S. Keilbaugh, superintendent of schools in Haverford Township, sitting down with both Keilbaugh and assistant superintendent Dr. Nicholas J. Rotoli, a former Haverford High principal.

“I kept asking whose decision was it? They said it was the school, and I told them the school pointed up at you guys,” McNichol said. “They told me they wanted to it in a different direction. I told them if it’s not about wins and losses, and we’re going to be better next year, what is it?

"They kept saying they wanted to go in a different direction; they told me they wanted a ‘fresh start.’ We went back and forth and I wanted an answer. I wanted someone to stand up and say who made the choice. I told them I wanted to coach somewhere else and I wanted to know what I did wrong. They told me there was no smoking gun as to why the decision was being made. I asked them if there was a way to rethink things here. Haverford has a great staff of people who care about these kids. It’s when we decided this was going around in circles. We were wasting each other’s time. They thanked me for my 15 years of service and I told them I didn’t know how to answer that.”

“We make no comment on personnel issues,” Keilbaugh issued in an e-mail to Patch earlier Tuesday. “We thank Mr. McNichol for his 15 years of service to Haverford High School as we look forward to moving in a different direction. We wish Mr. McNichol well.”

It’s been a tough six days, McNichol said Tuesday evening. He received correspondence from every active Central League coach and e-mails and text messages from referees, other area coaches and former players. He received close to 50 responses overall, he said.

“I appreciate all the nice things being said and the flood of e-mails and texts that I’ve received,” McNichol said. “I plan to go to school board meeting Thursday night and have my say. I want to coach again, somewhere. I wouldn’t resign, because that’s quitting on these kids, and I wasn’t about to resign and go out and coach somewhere else.

"I wasn’t about to do that to these kids. It’s frustrating. I’m angry. I just wanted to coach, and I wanted to coach at Haverford. I live in this area, I love this area. Someone believes that I didn’t measure up and that upset me, and to add to that, no one wanted to own up to the decision. The high school pointed to the superintendent, and the superintendent pointed at the high school. That was disappointing that no one said anything. I asked the superintendent is there any way this can be changed. I loved the fact that I was coaching at my neighborhood high school. They want a new face — go ahead and knock yourself out. I want to coach again. We’ll see.”