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Rice retires at Ithaca

This has certainly been a busy off-season on the annual coaching carousel, which includes the retirement or resignation of a number of high profile state high school football coaches.

Included in that group are now four members of the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame, as longtime Ithaca head coach Dan Rice has stepped down after 32 seasons. A graduate of Ithaca, Rice led the Bulldogs to 17 playoff appearances during his tenure, including a trip to the Division 6 state semi-finals in 1986 and 2001. His Bulldog teams won or shared 10 conference titles.

He also served as the school's basketball coach for many years, and is the all-time leader in coaching wins for both sports and was inducted into the WFCA Hall of Fame in 2007.

Chad Clary, who has served as an assistant coach at the school for 15 years, has been hired as the new head coach and will lead the offense. Jim Harris, who served as an assistant and head coach at nearby Richland Center High School then an assistant position at Ithaca, will be the defensive coordinator.

Arrowhead goes out of state for new head coach

Another of the Hall of Fame coaches to retire this off-season was Arrowhead's Tom Taraska, who stepped aside in May after 29 years and four state titles. A 2004 WFCA Hall of Fame inductee, Taraska compiled a 248-76 record at the school, and 265-96 overall.

Today the school announced his replacement.

"We are pleased to announce that we have hired Greg Malling from Rockville, Maryland to be the next head football coach here at Arrowhead High School," Athletic Director Kevin Flegner said in a statement. "Greg has also been hired to teach English at AHS starting next fall. Greg brings twelve years of experience as a defensive coordinator, offensive coordinator, head coach, and English teacher to AHS from both Maryland and Florida."

According to the Lake Country Reporter, Malling was the varsity coach at Wootton High School in Maryland for five years before serving as offensive coordinator at Leesburg High School in Florida last season.

In addition to Rice and Taraska, WFCA Hall of Fame coaches Phil Datka of Germantown and Wayne Steffenhagen of D.C. Everest stepped down since the completion of the 2010 season.


To see the full list of off-season Coaching Changes (including currently open positions) please click here. For additions or corrections to this list, please email Travis Wilson at travis(at)wissports.net.