Football coach's hiring causes backlash from upset parents

ASSOCIATED PRESS
George Curry's teams have won more high school football games and more state football championships than those of any other coach in Pennsylvania history.
Yet, when he was chosen as Wyoming Valley West High School's coach last week, the decision nearly prompted a fight in a school hallway.
Following the 6-2 vote by the Wyoming Valley West school board, an unidentified woman ripped a hat off of the head of Curry's sister as the sister was talking to a reporter.
Police intervened, and no one was arrested.
The incident followed a vote that took place in a nearly full auditorium, many of whom came to voice their support for Ed Michaels, the Wyoming Valley West coach for eight years before the position was opened in December.
Michaels, whose teams had a 56-30 record, was in attendance; Curry was not. When the deciding vote was cast in Curry's favor, the crowd was so noisy that no one in attendance, including the board members themselves, could hear the final vote being cast.
"The school board made a grave mistake, and it will come back to haunt them," said Ann Noble, whose son played for Michaels.
The 6-2 vote was considered a surprise. On Feb. 8, the board voted 4-4 with one member absent to hire Curry, whose teams have won 380 games and six PIAA Class AAA championships. All of Curry's state titles and 362 of those victories came in a 35-year career at Berwick High School.
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