Mark Greenleaf did not want to leave his position as Woodland High School’s football coach.
He just felt it was in the best interest of all involved after he and the athletic director could not see eye to eye in the direction of program.
Greenleaf resigned soon after his 13th season with the Beavers.
“I will forever cherish the memories I have of the hundreds of student athletes that I have had the opportunity to work with, teach, coach and mentor,” Greenleaf, 59, wrote in his letter of resignation.
Woodland athletic director Paul Huddleston confirmed Greenleaf’s resignation but declined to comment on the specifics leading up to the decision.
“On behalf of Woodland High School and the Woodland community, I’d like to thank Mark for his commitment to developing not only good football players, but more importantly, athletes of high character,” Huddleston said.
Greenleaf said he understood there were disagreements over some of the “inner workings” of how he ran the football program, but he also did not expect to have to fight for his job after this season.
Woodland went 4-5 in 2015. That put Greenleaf’s record at 81-50. His teams reached the playoffs in 11 of his 13 seasons.
“I didn’t want to be fighting a battle that wasn’t going to be good for him, for me, or the program,” Greenleaf said. “I decided to step down.”
In his letter to Huddleston, Greenleaf said his resignation was “due to ongoing program and philosophical differences.”
Greenleaf is proud of his time at Woodland.
“I believe that under my leadership, our student athletes were taught how to represent themselves, their school, and their community with great pride, discipline, and character,” he wrote. “I believe our teams were greatly respected by our opponents, the officials, our Beaver fans, our opposing fans, and our student body.”
He also said the program is in better shape than when he took over prior to the 2003 season.
Greenleaf said he is not ready to retire from coaching and he will seek a head coaching position elsewhere.
