Reid knew he'd leave after this season

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on December 20, 2013 1:48 PM

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Eric Reid sat on the weather-beaten wooden bench and watched his team walk toward the buses after a gut-wrenching loss against Kinston.

A gleam that once filled Reid's eyes had become clouded behind tears that dried on his cheeks. He sighed, removed his hat with the bright gold "G" in the middle and leaned back as the splintered boards groaned from the movement.

His quiet demeanor spoke volumes.

"This is it," Reid softly said.

The three words resonated loudly and seemed surreal at the time.

Proud to represent his alma mater and guide it back to prominence, Reid decided to put the rumors to rest that had surfaced upon the conclusion of last season.

This was, indeed, Reid's final campaign as Goldsboro High's head varsity football coach. He kept the official news from the team because he didn't want to cause any distractions with less than a month left in the season.

"I realized this past summer that time was of the essence and I wasn't getting any younger," said Reid, who is taking online courses to complete his teaching certificate. "I made it a point that it (the resignation) wouldn't happen until the end of the season because I didn't want to leave my seniors."

Goldsboro concluded the year 4-7 and missed the postseason for the first time since 2006. Reid met with the players and mixed emotions filled his soul as he announced his resignation.

The team didn't seem to shocked and supported the coach's decision.

"I really love that school and love those kids, not only the athletes but the whole student body because it's my home," said Reid, a 1980 alum. "I poured a lot of heart, blood, sweat and tears into this program. I think we have built something special here.

"It has put us in a light not only from an athletic standpoint, but a character standpoint because we've worked hard to give these kids the right tools to help them when they go out into the real world."

Reid churned out numerous players who signed national letters-of-intent on the Division II level. Some graduated and returned to assist Reid on a volunteer basis, either during summer workouts or on Friday nights.

One alum who played for Reid, Jarran Reed, hopes to sign with Alabama later this month. The hulking defensive lineman helped lead East Mississippi Community College to the 2013 National Junior College Athletic Association championship. He would become the program's first Division I player since Jacob Sykes, who played at Virginia Tech.

The Cougars' success revitalized a community that starved to support a winner. Former alumni held tail-gate parties at home games and filled the stands to cheer for their alma mater.

"A sense of family is one of the main things we tried to focus on as a coaching staff," Reid said. "That camaraderie, you take that with you no matter where you go."