Canby Herald Online

Football: Vaught shows interest in Canby job

Long-time assistant coach under Mike Doty to pursue Canby’s vacant coaching job

• By: Alex Tam  
• Published: 2/3/2010 12:46:22 AM

Photo By: Alex TamFootball: Mike Vaught
Mike Vaught (middle) served as Canby’s defensive coordinator for nearly two decades, and has shown interest in taking over for coach Mike Doty (left) after his retirement last month.

One of the earlier candidates to emerge in the quest to find the next Canby High School head football coach comes in-house.

Mike Vaught, who has coached at Canby for 18 years and served as defensive coordinator for the past 17 seasons, said he will be one of what is expected to be several applicants for the job.

“It would mean the world to me to be able to do it and have that opportunity,” said Vaught, who was the offensive coordinator at North Marion High School before coming to Canby in 1992. “But I also understand there’s going to be a long process and a lot of people going after that job. So if it happens, that would be a dream come true, but we’ll have to wait and see.”

The search to replace former coach Mike Doty, who coached the Cougars for 19 seasons, is expected to begin this month.

Canby High School athletic director Dennis Burke said two weeks ago that a committee will be formed and the process will take as long as it can to find the best possible candidate.

Vaught, 50, has coached for 27 years and said he stuck around Canby for the past two decades because he wants to be here despite other opportunities to be a head coach somewhere else.

“I chose not to because this is where I want to coach and this is where I want to be,” Vaught said.
Vaught has already received a recommendation from Doty to be the next head coach. However, Doty said last month that he has no say in the decision as it will be up to the high school administration and committee to determine.

Vaught said the recommendation “means everything.”

“To have him feel that way and the rest of the staff that is at the school have confidence in me, that means everything,” said Vaught, who is also the head girls tennis coach at Canby. “If you work with guys that long and coach with them and they still have reservations, then you’re probably not the guy for the job.”

But Vaught expects a long process and said there could be as many as 40 applicants for the job in the end.

“It’ll be a highly sought-after job,” he said. “With the success we’ve had in the program and the numbers we have and the community support, this is one of the best jobs in the state.”

In the interim, Vaught has helped take over the program by organizing the annual team camp and passing leagues over the summer.

Vaught said he learned a lot over the years working under Doty, including more importantly, the work ethic that goes into the job year-round.

“To be a head coach and run a successful program at this level, it is pretty much a year-round job,” he said. “I learned very quickly that during the season, weekends are for working, not just watching TV.”

He said he valued the time spent with Doty, along with long-time assistant coaches Ron Barker and Mark Woodhead. The four ate lunch together in the teacher’s lounge at the same table for 18 years.

“I’ve spent more time with them as much as I do – besides my immediate family – more time with them than anybody else,” Vaught said. “Teams come and go but every year – the coaching staff, our varsity staff – has been together. It’s going to be impossible to replace that.”

One of the more important philosophies he learned under Doty was taking care of the all the kids who came out with the motto of “you got to coach them all.”

It was a way to build depth on the team, as well as giving every kid a chance to play.

“I can’t tell you how many times over the years that we have played over 50 kids in a ballgame,” Vaught said. “Individual stats don’t matter to Mike. He does not care if we have the state’s leading rusher. He would rather win the game and have 15 different kids run the ball than one kid run it 25 times.”

Canby had had just two head coaches since 1979. In 19 seasons, Doty went 144-66 overall and 85-37 in league. Before Doty, former coach Erv Garrison ignited the turnaround of the program for 12 seasons (1979-1990) by going 92-36 overall and 64-19 in league play.

“(I) would love the opportunity to continue what coach Garrison and coach Doty have done the past 30 years,” Vaught said. “But with the program’s success and the strong community support that we have here in Canby, there is going to be a lot of coaches applying. Once the process is over, I am sure whoever the head coach is, he will be the right choice.”

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