Ripley is in the market for a new football coach after letting Al Pellegrino know his services would no longer be needed.
“They told me they wanted to go in a different direction and left it at that,” Pellegrino said.
Ripley is coming off a 2-8 season and Pellegrino was 14-18 in three seasons at the school.
The best season that the Tigers had under Pellegrino was in 2010 when they posted an 8-4 record and they made the second round of the Class 4A playoffs.
Multiple attempts to contact the Ripley Administration and the Athletic Director via email and telephone seeking comment went unanswered.
Before coming to Ripley, Pellegrino coached at Lake County in 2007 and 2008 and complied a 13-10 record for the Falcons which included a Class 1A Quarterfinal appearance in 2008.
Pellegrino has been a head coach in Georgia before coming to Lake County and has a 45-42 overall coaching record.
He was named the head coach at East Hall high school in Gainesville (GA), Savannah high (GA) as well as Heritage high school in Conyers (GA) before coming to Tennessee.
Pellegrino also was the defensive coordinator for the now defunct Columbus Wardogs of the Arena League 2 in 2004, the team's last season.
“I don't have anything on the radar right now,” Pellegrino said. “I have a degree in Administration so if I can't find a head coaching job anywhere, I can always try to go the Administration route.”
Ezell Harding Tabs Hall as new coach
Calvin Hall, a former wide receiver that starred at Gallatin and then the University of Alabama has been named as the new head coach at Ezell Harding.
Hall, 36, becomes the 11th coach in school history and replaces Josh Phillips who is stepping in a new role at Ezell as Director of Football Operations.
The Eagles are coming off a 4-7 season in 2011.
Hall was the wide receivers coach at LaVergne last season and has previously served as an assistant as his alma mater Gallatin in 2000 and at Beech for two seasons in 2001-2002.
Before taking the LaVergne job, Hall had been working in the private sector.
It was an honor just to be considered for the Head Coach position at Ezell Harding and when position was offered, it was a no brainer,” Hall said. “It is an honor, and I am thankful to be associated with a prestigious educational institution that prepares students for the future and eternity.”
When Hall played at Gallatin from 1991-94, he helped the Green Wave won a Class AAA state title in 1992 that capped off a perfect 15-0 year for Gallatin.
During his Gallatin career, Hall helped the Green Wave post a 47-5 record, the 1992 championship is the last one that Gallatin has won.
“We look forward to working with coach Hall over the coming weeks as he begins this new chapter in Eagles football,” Ezell President Beecher Frazier said.
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