NEW EAGLE - Dave Krakoff doesn't view himself as a savior.
"Savior?" Krakoff said. "Wow, thanks for the pressure."
But reaction from several Ringgold school board members, including First Vice President Charles Smith, indicates Krakoff can be the man to lead Rams' athletics back to the promised land.
During a special agenda meeting Thursday evening, a divided board hired Krakoff as both athletic director and boys' basketball coach by a 5-3 vote. Board member Janette Baisley did not attend.
"Everything we're doing is looking kindergarten through 12th grade and development of children from one level to the next," Smith said. "If you don't have a program like that, you can't be a winner in academics, you can't be a winner in the arts and you certainly can't be a winner in athletics."
Krakoff, 31, replaces Jeff Matty as AD while succeeding veteran Phil Pergola as hoops coach. Matty spoke convincingly of his replacement.
"Usually, when you're interviewing candidates, you're taking notes," said Matty, who sat in on nearly 25 interviews for the AD position. "When (Krakoff) spoke, everyone stopped taking notes and just listened."
In a separate 5-3 vote Thursday, the board hired former Waynesburg Central coach William "Russ" Moore to head the Ringgold football team, also replacing Matty in that capacity. In addition, Moore, 46, will serve as a physical education teacher.
Moore guided the Waynesburg football program to a 39-17 record in five seasons - including a WPIAL championship in 1999. After resigning, Moore assisted three years at Washington & Jefferson College before taking last year off to play "Mr. Mom" for his infant daughter.
"I missed high school football; some people love college, but there's nothing better than when the lights go on Friday nights in Western Pa.," Moore said. "I went through that hallway (at Ringgold) and it's like, Joe Montana, Fred Cox; it was the Hall of Fame. The name 'Ringgold' still carries that mystique."
The trio of dissenting votes Thursday came from Lawrence Mauro, Richard Lorenzo and Dr. Nikki Trotta. All were visibly upset and offered criticism - not of the candidates personally, but other issues - before being hurried along by Denise Kuhn, the board president.
"Both of these men are educators," Kuhn stressed. "They both have masters degrees, so these are seasoned veteran teachers."
Mauro challenged whether it was wise to hire another athletic director who would also double as a coach, as well as questioning Smith about the interview process.
"We certainly have candidates in-house who have taught and coached for 25 years in different sports who had a great desire to serve as athletic director," Mauro said. "First, I thought these candidates were going to be discussed during executive session. I was expecting to see the candidates at least given the courtesy of a second interview."
Trotta, along with Mauro, challenged the discretion of paying generous salaries at a time the district was cutting back. Both Krakoff and Moore will make over $65,000 a year in their combined capacities - the former as AD and basketball coach, the latter as gym teacher and football coach.
Board President Denise Kuhn had to pound her gavel several times to halt the shouting. Still, the votes passed almost instantaneously and Mauro quickly vacated the room following adjournment.
"Money-wise, we were already paying that," Smith said of the salaries. "We could have hired some capable people at a lesser rate, but I believe we bought the best for the buck. These men took over and told me what they were doing in their programs and have already proven themselves."
This past season, Krakoff coached the West Allegheny boys' basketball team to a 17-11 record while winning first-round games in both the WPIAL and PIAA playoffs.
As a No. 12 seed, the Indians surprised Burrell in the WPIAL postseason. Then, they knocked off District-10 champ General McClain in the West Allegheny's first PIAA playoff game in school history.
"We wanted to build a sense of commitment within the program and a sense of family within the locker room so it meant something when you put on that uniform," said Krakoff, who had just one player show up in his first open gym as the Indians' new coach in 2000. "I walked into a program that was rock bottom, competing with Moon, Hopewell and Blackhawk - all programs with rich tradition."
"Ringgold is one of two WPIAL teams to win the Class AAAA state championship and there is already a rich tradition in place."
Starting July 1, Krakoff will officially take over as AD. The Green Tree resident is used to teaching English Writing at Pine-Richland while coaching at West Allegheny. He expressed anticipation of finally settling into one place.
"I've been a part of two communities for years now, and it's exciting to me that I can devote myself to one - Ringgold," Krakoff said. "It's great walking into a situation where the administration is passionate about kids and that's the place I want to be."
"I think Ringgold is placing a lot of faith and confidence in me," he added. "I'm fully committed into proving they made the right decision."
