Mike Glennie resigns after one month as Dexter's football coach
Mike Glennie has stepped down as Dexter High School's’s football coach a little more than a month after taking the job, according to a letter sent from Dexter Athletic Director Mike Bavineau to the parents of football players.
Mike Glennie
AnnArbor.com file
According to the letter, Glennie informed Bavineau Wednesday evening that he was stepping down. A search for a new coach will begin immediately, the letter said.
"My commitment, as Dexter Athletic Director, is to build a first class organization. Coach Glennie’s departure does not change our course of action and commitment to that goal," Bavineau's letter states.
Reached by phone Thursday afternoon, Bavineau confirmed the district had spoken to Glennie regarding the position, but didn’t comment further and wouldn’t confirm that he had ever been hired. Glennie did not return a call seeking comment.
Dexter Touchdown Club announced Glennie’s hiring on March 4.
Glennie coached at Saline for 10 years, through the 2011 season, and spent last year as the offensive coordinator at Pioneer.
Glennie’s resignation is the latest in what’s been a year of turmoil for Dexter athletics personnel. Since longtime coach Tom Barbieri was dismissed following the 2010 season, three coaches have come and gone. Brian Baird coached the team in 2011, but resigned in early September following a blowout loss to Pioneer. Ryan Fisher filled in for the remainder of the season on an interim basis. Last year, Barbieri was awarded $10,500 and other perks as part of a settlement with Dexter Community Schools stemming from a grievance filed following his dismissal.
"We met with the football team this morning. We did not want rumors to rule the day. We wanted to be upfront with our student athletes and let them know what our next steps would be," Bavineau said in the letter. "We discussed the fact that decisions people make often impact all us of but we can only focus on what we call the “Controllables”."
The district has also had three athletic directors in the last year and five since the end of the 2009-10 school year. Brian Steele resigned last April after six months on the job because of a disagreement with administration. In August, his replacement Darren Kecskes quit after two weeks to take a job in a different district. Bavineau became interim athletic director following Kecskes' departure and according to DexterPatch had the interim tag removed in March.
Kyle Austin covers sports for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kyleaustin@annarbor.com or 734-623-2535. Follow him on Twitter @KAustin_AA.
Comments
Dexter Mom
Tue, Apr 30, 2013 : 7:18 p.m.
Dexter schools do not have a certified public accountant on staff. the Treasurer has a degree in engineering, and simply follows what the board treasurer tells her to do. It has been that way for many years. You would all be amazed if you knew how some of the folks who live in Dexter have profited from decisions made by the Dexter school board. Not the soprano's, just Dirty little Dexter.
leonard
Wed, Apr 24, 2013 : 2:24 p.m.
Dexter is better off with out this guy any way.
ManOnFire
Tue, Apr 23, 2013 : 3:06 a.m.
This shows the true character of Mike Glennie. Those who have coach sports before know that the only reason to coach is for the kids. It is very apparent that this was not the case with Mr. Glennie. Correct me if this is wrong, but was he not on the Pi High staff the ran the score up on Dexter last season, had a brawl after the Huron game? Now he quits on the Boys of Dexter after only a month. This man should never be able to coach again. What lessons has he taught his teams? I would have serious pause if this man was my child's coach or teacher. I would like to know why he left Saline football; they look to be playing some pretty darn good football to me.
josephk
Mon, Apr 22, 2013 : 7:27 p.m.
For those implying that Dexter's athletics are in shambles, they are way off base. The swim teams, baseball, soccer, lacrosse, cross country and others are competitive at the state level so this isn't about the school's or community's commitment to sports. Coach Glennie had the perfect opportunity to develop the football program because there are such low expectations. Even with such little success, they still maintained an active football booster club and fill the stands at every home game. From where I see it, building a program takes a coach's hard work and commitment, neither of these cost any money. Coach Glennie obviously was not up for the challenge so Dexter needs to move on to some that is.
Mark
Mon, Apr 22, 2013 : 1:18 p.m.
Glennie showed no concern for the kids. He's just looking to step on Dexter to a new position. Very small behavior from a grown-up. I'd take Mike Bavineau any day over him.
mike gatti
Mon, Apr 22, 2013 : 11:24 a.m.
I don't follow this but it seems that there is something odd going on around here with high school football. We had the nasty behavior with Pioneer and Huron last fall. Now this revolving coach thing in Dexter. What exactly are the kids getting out of this? Don't get me wrong. I love sports and think they are a great way to teach kids sportsmanship and teamwork and can be fun as heck. I believe that as coaches, administrators and parents we must put those goals at the forefront and the teams must be coached by people who will place those goals above their ego.
Jimmyc
Sun, Apr 21, 2013 : 12:18 a.m.
Here's hoping the available coaches - Gildersleeve and Test - don't apply for the job.
music to my ear
Sat, Apr 20, 2013 : 9:21 p.m.
I know coach Glennie, my guess is he was probably told how to lead, and when you hire a coach, he is too lead not be dictated to,it is probably why they cant keep help,not to many coaches are gonna bow down or brown nose,just stand for what they believe.
NoCommonSenseLeft
Sat, Apr 20, 2013 : 8:40 p.m.
@johnnya2 Nice job attacking my son. He has actually received scholar athelete awards every year he has been involved in sports, since his education is the most important thing to him, as it is to his dad and I. Whether our son was involved in sports, Boy Scouts, or what ever HE chose to sign up for, we made sure that he knew it was a committment, that he was part of a team and that he was in it for the season. i do not think it is unreasonable to ask for the same committment from an adult who takes on the responsibility of coaching young men or women.
Shawn Letwin
Sat, Apr 20, 2013 : 7:11 p.m.
@SemperFi...another spot on comment and observation... "...seeing from adults that are supposed to be in charge is flagrant dereliction of duty. wanton disregard for honesty, and an extreme effort to hide the truth." I think you also said it best in another comment...""Ye reap what ye sow." Dexter Schools is what Dexter voted for. As @Daniel stated..."Perhaps Dexter needs to look more closely at those that are staying rather than those that left. The captains of this ship are scuttling the ship." Sure can't be the Ccan't be the superintendents, cause they have all left after stints of 2-3 years or less beginning with Spargur. And curious as to how the AD states in the letter to the players and parents..."Coach Mike Glennie notified me Wednesday evening that he would not continue to be our head football coach next season.", yet for this article..."Bavineau confirmed the district had spoken to Glennie regarding the position, but didn't comment further and wouldn't confirm that he had ever been hired". SemperFi was spot on when he stated..."disregard for honesty and an extreme effort to hide the truth" Wow! @SemperFi-Thanks for serving our country and protecting our freedoms...enjoy, take care and be well.
Kyle Austin
Sat, Apr 20, 2013 : 10:12 p.m.
I should clarify here that I spoke to Bavineau for the first time on Thursday. At that point, we had not been sent the letter and had only a source telling us that Glennie had resigned. When I called back after receiving the letter we didn't hear back.
SemperFi
Sat, Apr 20, 2013 : 6:09 p.m.
NoCommonSenseLeft couldn't have hit the nail more squarely on the head. We teach our kids to follow through on their commitments. We teach them to be truthful and forthright. Unfortunately, what they are seeing from adults that are supposed to be in charge is flagrant dereliction of duty. wanton disregard for honesty, and an extreme effort to hide the truth. Starting with the school board, which can't seem to make an intelligent decision (this is pretty much the same group that decided to build a swimming pool at the high school that's too short to host a swim meet and start a redundant IB program to serve their own kids), this cronyism network that pervades the Dexter Schools needs to be plowed under. The good citizens of Dexter need to call for some real transparency regarding the issues that continue to rise because of a lack of leadership and poor administration.
johnnya2
Sat, Apr 20, 2013 : 7:34 p.m.
How ridiculous. If he stayed and was unhappy in the job you would be teaching kids that it is ok to stick with a horrible job that you do not like when there are other opportunities in life. You know NOTHING of why he left,. and quite frankly it is NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS. I will put a scenario out there, let's say his wife was diagnosed with terminal cancer. She did not want it broadcast to the world (her right to privacy), but he wanted to spend more time with her. Would you say he should break his wifes' wishes to make your little johnny feel better about himself. I take the same attitude that Lloyd and Bo took, I would concentrate on those that ARE there, and not those that were or are not going to be there
Daniel
Sat, Apr 20, 2013 : 5:34 p.m.
Perhaps Dexter needs to look more closely at those that are staying rather than those that left. The captains of this ship are scuttling the ship.
NoCommonSenseLeft
Sat, Apr 20, 2013 : 3:26 p.m.
My son is a player on the DHS football team. From day 1, the boys were really fired up about Coach Glennie, saying he was getting them new uniforms, they were going expand the weight room, new equipment, blah, blah, blah. I told my son that unless Coach Glennie was personally paying for this it would never happen because there was no money to provide such things. Reading these comments about the school board, about the terrible football program, etc. is all well and good. However, I haven't seen any comments about who is really suffering the most from this and it is the boys who keep putting their faith in football coaches who don't follow through. I will continue to support DHS sports, including football, because I support my son as well as all the kids who work so hard both in and out of school. I am saddened that the one thing my son seems to be learning from the coaches is to give up and throw in the towel when things don't turn out they way they want or plan.
Mark
Mon, Apr 22, 2013 : 1:24 p.m.
I'm with you, player's mom. The boys matter, and that's not the message they are receiving.
johnnya2
Sat, Apr 20, 2013 : 7:29 p.m.
Maybe your son should spend the time worrying about his EDUCATION instead of who the football coach is. It actually teaches your kids that when a situation is not a good fit for you, you CAN and SHOULD find a new one instead of just staying on and milking it for whatever you can. I have no idea, nor care why the coach quit. That is his business. The AD is in charge of finding the next coach and the goal should be to find one that fits in Dexter. Keep in mind that there is no current football team at Dexter. Their season has been over for sometime. There will be a new team forming in the late summer.
Kyle Austin
Sat, Apr 20, 2013 : 6:33 p.m.
Thanks for your comment, NoCommonSenseLeft, and for providing some perspective on how this has affected some of the players who have been through quite a bit of this sort of thing in the last year.
dancinginmysoul
Sat, Apr 20, 2013 : 2:33 p.m.
Classy.
Shawn Letwin
Sat, Apr 20, 2013 : 1:17 p.m.
One commenter stated that his girls had a tremendous experience at Dexter and also posted previous comments such as this: 12:40 PM on 8/16/2012 There were 6 incidents in which former football coach Barbieri didn't follow through, not Lucas. Nothing has been written about why Lucas was fired under questionable circumstances. I requested that you follow up on the Lucas firing back when the original story surfaced in April 2011...to no avail. Something stinks here. Call me a conspiracy theorist, but too many things have happened with this athletic director position since Robinson left. Do your job and dig into this. 3/14/2012 Something is going on with the Dexter athletic department. The previous athletic director was fired under strange circumstances and I asked you to look into it at that time and you did nothing. And now six months into his job the new AD is leaving. I am all for Title IX, but the guys deserve the same. No horror...maybe but not, but "something does stink here." And I do agree that a follow-up to the lawsuit Lucas filed with the district would be nice.
don5858
Sat, Apr 20, 2013 : 12:07 p.m.
Real Classy Glennie, just about as classy as Brian Baird
cmdvimes
Sat, Apr 20, 2013 : 10:55 a.m.
Ann Arbor and Dexter need to hook a turbine up to the revolving door at these positions to generate some electricity.
Tim Hornton
Sat, Apr 20, 2013 : 1:12 a.m.
At least he left undefeated!
Tim Hornton
Sat, Apr 20, 2013 : 11:58 a.m.
Lol I know I was suprised nobody used it yet!
Craig Lounsbury
Sat, Apr 20, 2013 : 11:55 a.m.
dang I was going to use the same joke as i read the story this morning.
Shawn Letwin
Sat, Apr 20, 2013 : 1:12 a.m.
Wow! Speechless. @MyOpinion...thanks for the offer to join forces. You must have missed the recent news about Dexter and its' 5th superintendent in 10 years. She resigned mid-year for a new job with a district about 1/10th the size of Dexter. Left mid-year! The BOE acted quickly to get the search going for a permanent, but that came to a screeching halt about 2 weeks ago. With 10 current superintendents applying for the job and another 20 plus interested, the BOE didn't believe that any of the candidates was worthy of taking to the next level. And now another football coach resigns after just getting hired. @Johnny Spirit...spot on. Problem is that with all of the bond money that came into Dexter in the last 15 years...over $125 million, lots of people have become beholden with their pet projects for their respective special interests. Band was the latest recipient in getting over $100K for new uniforms (with no contributions from the Band Boosters), while at the same time the board was approving a deficit budget for 2012-2013. When your demographics is made up of neighborhoods like Loch Alpine, Brass Creek, The Preserves and other smaller upscale neighborhoods in little ole Dexter, too much pride and self-importance for those folks to publicly admit the ship is sinking. But they sure are busy getting all they can for their own kid. Dexter kids are so special, they needed their own IB program (at the expense of all other programs) to support about 30 kids. The pie is shrinking and you were spot on about who is making sure they get their same serving of pie. The last person to begin to vote no on anything was picked to lead the Community Ed department shortly upon her midterm resignation. The very same dept. she voted to dismantle a year or two earlier. The Dexter Difference.
A2M3
Sat, Apr 20, 2013 : 12:30 a.m.
Pretty rough squad he was presented with apparently.
josephk
Mon, Apr 22, 2013 : 8:05 p.m.
It's high school football. Aside from a few players it is generally an even talent pool. The struggle is getting the number of players up to a point where players being challenged for positions, injuries don't hurt, discipline etc. He was hired to build a High School program not takeover an NFL team. If he was the right hire, he would have been excited to have an opportunity to develop young men.
Mark
Mon, Apr 22, 2013 : 1:30 p.m.
Well, if you're just looking a aggrandize yourself on the backs of a bunch of high school athletes, then maybe Dexter isn't the best fit. Glennie should have known that going in.
SemperFi
Sat, Apr 20, 2013 : 6:12 p.m.
Don't try to put this on the kids.
Jonny Spirit
Fri, Apr 19, 2013 : 11:46 p.m.
Dexter has a huge problem with 2 people trying to run the show. The crazy lady running the budget for Dexter schools, and the bully old man on the school board. I will not mention any names but the NEW superintendent needs to step in and help the district out. These 2 people need let the people of Dexter speak. Dexter also needs to get rid of there Mafia Union leader to stop the good ole boy system within the school walls. Dexter is talking layoff and raising class sizes AGAIN. Dexter hired 4-5 retired teachers last year (paying them all top pay) to teach certain classes at the high school with only 10-12 students in each class. They are all buddies with the Union president. He is also trying to get a new gig for himself next year. These retired teachers need to leave and if there are not enough student signed up for the class it needs to be canceled. Stop helping out all your boys Union president. You know who you are. The crazy budget lady STOLE all of the teams budget, there are reports her stealing vacation days from teachers, and some how she finds a million dollars every year????Hmmmm sounds fishy. The older man on the school board needs to stop bulling people and shut up. His ideas are terrible and is costing the district thousands of dollars because people are leaving the area. Time to move on and just live in Dexter and stop trying to run the show because you are ruining the district. Dexter is in a world of hurt and it needs changes that start at the top. It is time for a change and the people of Dexter needs to start asking questions because a lot stuff being done behind your back.
Mark
Mon, Apr 22, 2013 : 1:46 p.m.
Jonny, more people will listen to you [which I think is your goal] if you tone down the insults and state the facts. You are worth listening to. But when you say things like "crazy lady" and "bully old man," people will tune you out. I read the entire post and I see some real truth in it, though. We need strong leadership and we need it now. And transparency, of course.
YpsiGirl4Ever
Sat, Apr 20, 2013 : 6:07 p.m.
Someone at A2.com need to speak with Jonny....
Ittakesallkinds
Sat, Apr 20, 2013 : 12:46 p.m.
I don't know who you are Johnny Spirit but your info is spot on.
Blue Marker
Sat, Apr 20, 2013 : 12:23 p.m.
It's the little farming town of Dexter, not the Soprano's!
EightySeven
Fri, Apr 19, 2013 : 9:49 p.m.
There is something going on out in Dexter. Why they can't get or keep a football coach is very strange. How about a little digging and investigation into this annarbor.com?? There is a story here and it probably needs to brought to light.
Mark
Mon, Apr 22, 2013 : 1:36 p.m.
Dexter has wonderful coaches in their other sports. They put the kids first and go above and beyond what it required. The payoff is that the kids trust them and learn the lessons you are supposed to learn in HS sports. Teamwork. Endurance. Sticking with it. There's something about the culture of football that makes finding the dedicated coach hard to find. Where's the coach who puts the kids first and brings out the best they have? He's hard to find.
Pete Cunningham
Sat, Apr 20, 2013 : 12:07 a.m.
Freedom of Information Act requests were sent today in an effort to find out the details surrounding the hiring and resignation of Mr. Glennie. In time, we hope to tell the entire story.
MyOpinion
Fri, Apr 19, 2013 : 8:36 p.m.
Perhaps, Dexter could join forces with Ann Arbor in the job search: we're searching for a superintendent and they are searching for a football coach. And, our previous searches/hires weren't very successful.