Jack Welch served as head football coach and athletics director for Copperas Cove high school for 24 years, but he said his reasons for retiring were twofold: finances and family.
The previous held much less weight than the first, because even though Welch can make almost as much retired as he could working, he works, "anyways because [he] loves it."
No, the main reason was that his brother and offensive coordinator, Tracy, decided to take his own head coaching position at Lake Worth high school.
"I was going to have to hire all new coaches because a lot of them left with Tracy," said Welch, "It didn't make much sense to have to hire a group of coaches and then only stay for a year. Then another coach comes in and has to do it all over again. That's not right for the kids."
Jack wanted Tracy to succeed him as head coach of the Dawgs, but the chance for Tracy to return to the area where both brothers grew up was too much for him to pass up.
"I told him he had to do what's best for him and we prayed on it."
It was after Tracy's April 1 decision that Jack went to his superintendent and asked for a few days to think about his future. After those few days, retirement was his final decision.
As for the rumors that flew after that? No. Jack did not clean out his office immediately. That didn't happen until April 30th.
No, Jack says he has not interviewed with Lake Worth, nor does he plan to.
Welch has a simple reason for why he and the district didn't try to dispel these rumors while they were happening.
"I think that's protocol and the proper thing to do. If you're working with your station on your job and you're wanting to get everything finalized there, should you be out there in the public talking about how y'all are working on things and doing things? I don't think you do. I don't think that's good business. I don't think that's good protocol."
But, why the $80,000 buyout in exchange for no lawsuit? And, what is going on with that trademark?
Jack's contract had three years remaining. That $80,000 was compensation for money that would've been owed. The lawsuit stipulation is standard procedure in exit contracts, and Jack agreed to let the district use the logo he designed for his non-profit, free of charge, for at least a decade.
Welch says he will sit out this year and collect retirement, but after that, thanks to UIL rules, he can get a new job with a new salary and still collect that pension.
So, what's next for the former Bulldawg?
"I'm open to coaching college ball. I'm open to being an administrator in high school and in college. I've looked at some things there. I'm open to all of it. I just want to see what God's got for me. I just want to look at it and I'm not going to get over excited."
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