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ECHS Head Coach Mark Heaton Leaving For New Job
April 25, 2012
Mark Heaton, head football coach and athletic director at Escambia County High School in Atmore is leaving.
Heaton is taking over as athletic director and head football coach at Haleyville High School in northwestern Alabama. In two seasons at ECHS, Heaton was 14-9, including a 2010 quarterfinal appearance in the state playoff series.
Heaton’s employment was approved Tuesday night by the Haleyville Board of Education with a start date of May 1. A dozen people were interviewed for the position.
He is a former offensive coordinator for the Northview Chiefs and head coach for the J.U. Blacksher Bulldogs in Uriah, Ala., where he went 13-9.
Heaton’s wife, Betty, is the head volleyball coach and teaches reading at Northview High School. Reports indicate she is expected to follow her husband to northwestern Alabama by next school year.
Comments
24 Responses to “ECHS Head Coach Mark Heaton Leaving For New Job”
I have read these comments and it is not all about Coach Heaton. It is about these kids. Yes, Coach left, but what did he leave. He left a group of kids that should be well motivated and inspired to play the game with or without him. I know loosing a coach can painful, but as you workout, get in shape and do your part at ECHS use that as MOTIVATION! It is not the end of ECHS!!! Remember the students make the school and the players make the plays, the teachers and coaches are just instructors! You get out what you put in!!!!!!!!!!!!!
See I didnt attend ECHS and I messed up my spelling but that dont mean I dont have proper grammer it just tells me that I can admit to a mistake. I’m proud to say my daughter is apart of the kids at ECHS.
To all of you that are talking smack about the kids that attend ESCM should be ashamed. I have a daughter that attends the school and I care very much about her education. And if she wasnt getting the “proper grammar” then I would send her to another school. And to the Academy, I will put my daughter’s education against one of your any day of the week. But make sure you send the best you got. ECHS will stand strong cause they are use to doing for themself and nothing just being giving to them..GO BIG BLUE!!!!!
Wow< for all the comments about the players grammar if you was smart enough you would realize ESCAMBIA ACADEMY isnt doing better than any other school in escambia county grade wise havent you realized that govenor bentley is trying to close the private schools ! students dont have to use proper grammar on something that is not important (trying to express how they feel to you ) echs will eventually get better so worry about you and not echs .
ECHS has some very bad problems!!! Until these “problems” are corrected… you’ll never see new staff stay a couple of years or more. I know one teacher/coach that used to work at ECHS and moved to another school because it is so bad there. He told me, “They couldn’t pay me enough money to come back!” Part of the problem is the undisciplined students. They show total disrespect to any female teacher. They have gone rogue! Why do you think people leave that crap hole and go to Escambia Academy??? Good luck to Coach Heaton.
wow coach heaton and this is my first year playing and you jess up and leave us like this all the times you was pushing us in the weight room and did all that hard work for us to get better so we can go to the championship this year and you jess leave us i have nothig to say to you at all coach i really hope we play yall to show how good of a team we are without you
To the ppl talkin down on the football team , don’t make it seem like it’s our fault he left. An everybody doesn’t have proper grammar. Some people cant help who they was raised around . Our grammar and education had nothing to do with his decision . Doesn’t matter what school he switches to , there will still be improper grammar . Echs football team will continue to put our hearts in each game . !!
Looks like they need to do away with the entire football team,and focus more on education. How can a person pass an english class with grammar like that? Makes me question our school system.
Look, these kids and other people that have made comments are upset about him leaving, stop trying to make other excuses for him leaving. The teachers at ECHS are doing their best, from what I see to educate these kids, it takes more than the teachers and foot ball coach, it takes the parents and the kids wanting to do their best too! Don’t try to add more to it then there really is. I am sure that the coach’s dicision is one that he prayed on and is taking GOD’s guidance in this. I pray that the next coach will be just as good or better. Everyone should pray for this!
Maybe he left because he could not understand what his players were saying?
If these comments about Coach Heaton are coming from students, then it is obvious why he is leaving. They have apparently had no education. They can not spell or even put their sentences together correctly. The school might want to focus less on sports and more on education and grammer. Most of the students will benefit from what they learn in the classroom, not the field.
well now we se who was really dedicated to ECHS and coach you chewed us out about people leaving and going over to the academy look how u just left us without us knowing anything but we will bounce back from the lost and play hard this year
Wow coach… Wud it hav hurted 2 tell us instead of leaven us when uuu hyped us wit yur promises bout winning a state championship… All daht work 4 nuhn… Doesnt sound like character 2 me hope we kan play yall sumtyme before my senior year I got sum 2 play for now
It is very sad for students to lose such a good coach. They are taught the team is like family. I remember my child’s reaction when he lost his coach it was like his father/best friend was leaving him very sad but along came an even greater man to coach. Take in what heaton has taught you and grow hope the team is as lucky as we were and someone will come in and add to the team even more.
Yeah that really is mest up doe Coach well gotta move yu gotta do wat yu gotta do in we gone do wat we gotta do I knew thus was coming doe I knew yu was gone end up leaving sumbody told me dhat but yu ain’t half to leave us like this man coach I really ain’t git nun to say to man after this over with us as a team is done we gone move on in hope for the best I got my brothers in I wish we could play yall in the season in show yu wat we can do without you man yu hurt us man that’s mest up Coach Heaton yu get no respect for dhat coach!!!! IN THIS IS COMING FROM ESCAMBIA COUNTY FOOTBALL TEAM..#52 #28 #23 #25 #1 #3 #2…
Sandie C., after having taught at ECHS for several years, I can completely understand why Coach Heaton would want to move on. Although we teachers ARE committed to our students, commitment to my family and their well being will always come first. Until you have been in the classrooms at ECHS, you really have no idea what a tough teaching assignment that is.
Sad. Role Model stays 2 years in Uriah and the talent goes away and so does coach Heaton. 2 years at ECHS and one of the most talented teams we’ve had in a long time can’t be coached up and there goes coach Heaton. Funny how coaches come in saying they are here to make a life and this is the best place for their family and so on only to be looking for somewhere (anywhere) else to go as soon they get settled. ECHS is no longer a great coaching job…it is a stepping stone to anywhere else. I get frustrated hearing how great and wonderul a coach is and that person asks for commitment from the players but he is not committed to them, ECHS, or Atmore. When will we hire someone who WANTS to be at ECHS?
umm why!!! ): we need u !!!!!!! but okay i gues for the best .. </3
Man I Had My Hopes Up Bout Playing Sumwhere Else 4 A New Coach, New School, And He Just Up And Leave His Team In The Wind Like This??….
There is going to be alot more sad days for Escambia County High School until the school district steps in a does something. Here they had a good coach and have had good teachers but the school district does not back them, I don’t blame them for going somewhere else. Good Luck to Coach Heaton and his family, may God bless you!
Coach Heaton did an outstanding job here, and I wish him well.. I just hope we can find someone to come in and continue to do well.. ECHS has such a great football tradition.. I played HS football years ago at TR Miller, and back in those days, they beat us as much or more than we beat them..
ECHS is losing a great role model. He is a very positive influence on his players and great person to work with. This is a bittersweet moment because he is well deserving of the job; however, it Is sad to see him move forward. Wishing you the best, Coach!!!!
I was blessed to have Mrs. Coach Heaton as a Volleyball coach and my husband had Mr. Coach Heaton for football at NHS!! It was pretty confusing at times, we could never just say Coach Heaton!! Volleyball will not be the same thats for sure!! Good luck to both of you!!
This is a sad day for Escambia County High School. Good luck Coach Heaton!