News that there will not be another John Franco era at Tyrone broke on Tuesday February 18 when WTAJ news sportscaster KC Kantz tweeted that John Franco has decided to stay at Altoona.

Franco told WJAC news, “I felt like I needed to listen to Tyrone out of my respect for them” but said that the offer would have to be “worth his while” to leave Altoona.

“I want to see if we can get this moving,” Franco told WTAJ about the Mountain Lions football program. “We’re going in the right direction. We can become a major factor again.”

In an email interview with the Eagle Eye, Kantz said that Franco didn’t seem upset about his decision.

Tyrone Daily Herald sports writer and Franco supporter Kerry Naylor said he believed the biggest reason Franco didn’t apply for the Tyrone position was because Franco didn’t feel he was going to get enough support from the board.

In an email interview, Naylor told the Eagle Eye “[Franco] was interested in coaching here again. He did not push Steve Guthoff out. He didn’t say no because of his ego or because he wanted the District to beg him to come back.”  According to Naylor, “Franco wanted to know that the board wanted him to apply.”

Tyrone school board athletic chairman Brian Bressler said that in order to be considered for the position, any candidate would first need to apply.

“He would have had to have applied for the position in order to be granted an interview, like anyone else.  Positions aren’t just handed out to people,” said Bressler.

“I can’t say whether the board would have supported him, I am only one of nine votes,” added Bressler.

With Franco out of the picture, attention has shifted to other candidates.

Because the interview process is ongoing, Bressler declined to comment on who specifically has applied for the job.  However, he said that the board is pleased with the applications that it received.

“We have a good mix of candidates.  I’m sure we will find a good one,” said Bressler.

Regardless of who the coach is, Bressler said that he hopes that students will “come out in force and keep the football tradition alive in Tyrone.”

“I hope that whatever the decision is that players who maybe are supporting a particular person, if that person doesn’t get the position, they still should come out for football because it’s about them; it’s not really about the coach.  The coach is their guide,” added Bressler.

Bressler said that the decision on a new coach should be made at the March 10th School Board meeting.