Told Mount Paran ‘wanted to go in a
different direction,’ baseball coach
Harvey Cochran will see his brief, but successful, tenure at the school end after the season.
Staff file photo by Jon-Michael Sullivan
Staff file photo by Jon-Michael Sullivan
Despite that success, a new coach will be found to try to continue the Eagles’ upward trajectory in 2013.
Cochran confirmed Tuesday that he had been relieved of his duties, effective at the end of the season.
It is a surprising decision, particularly with Mount Paran sporting a 21-2 record — including a 20-6 rout of then-No. 1 Darlington — and the No. 4 ranking in the Class A coaches poll.
Cochran, a local mainstay who coached at North Cobb from 1971-2005 before spending two years at North Atlanta, said he was informed of his dismissal in a phone call from athletic director Mitch Jordan.
Cochran said no reason was given for the decision.
“I was told that they wanted to go in a different direction,” he said. “I didn’t get an explanation from them why I was being let go. We’re 21-2. I don’t understand why we need to go in a different direction.”
Jordan did not return messages seeking comment Tuesday.
Dave McDonald, the longtime Wheeler coach in his second year as Cochran’s pitching coach at Mount Paran, said he too will be leaving at the end of the season.
McDonald was just as baffled about the decision not to retain Cochran.
“We’re 21-2. What other direction do they want to go?” said McDonald, who serves as a volunteer coach.
The future of the other assistants — Kenny Palmer, Jim Rismiller and Kyle Reese — are still in question.
Mount Paran has steadily improved since Cochran took the reins from Russ Russell in 2009.
The Eagles went 14-14 in Cochran’s first season, then fell back to 10-15 in 2010 before improving to 20-11 last year and advancing to the second round in their first state playoff appearance since 2006.
Mount Paran, whose only losses have come against Class AAAA Kell and Region 6A rival Darlington, has also beaten three Class AAAAA teams and two out-of-state opponents. And next season may be even brighter, as the Eagles have only one senior listed on their roster.
Cochran has compiled a 675-354 record in his four decades as a high school baseball coach, including a 64-42 mark in his four years with the Eagles.
He made his biggest mark at North Cobb, where he won 571 games and led the Warriors to seven region titles.
Cochran’s departure from North Cobb also came with question as to whose decision it was.
“I didn’t really want to leave,” he told the Marietta Daily Journal in the fall of 2005, “but I felt like it was the right thing to do. At least, I hope it’s the right thing to do.”
Cochran said he was planning to coach one more year at Mount Paran before retiring, and that he’s disappointed to be ending his tenure a year early.
“We have a really good team here,” Cochran said. “We have something good going on here, and I’m sorry that I won’t be back to see it through one more year.”
Cochran stated how much he enjoyed working with his players at Mount Paran and overseeing their development the last four years.
“I had some great kids at North Cobb, and I have some great kids at Mount Paran,” he said. “I love coaching high school baseball. It’s baseball at its purest form. I love working with the kids at Mount Paran, they are a great bunch of kids to work with.”
— Marietta Daily Journal sports editor John Bednarowski contributed to this report.
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In my experience, the relationship between Coach Cochran, his players and the parents was amazing!! Kind of makes me laugh to think that if you could get all the parents and players together that support Coach Cochran (from softball and baseball) you would need a very large baseball stadium!
Unfortunately there will always be "haters" out there!
To the booster/overzealous dad who initiated this: what a pathetic lesson you've taught your son.
As for the comments by Mr. Accountability, Mean, Criminal, and Biased, Mr. Oshust's article is great journalism. YOUR COMMENTS ARE SHAMEFUL JOURNALISM! Ladies and Gentleman, don't be that guy!
to exploit in those they have sway over. If you're
the wrong kind of boss, integrity in your underlings
can be intimidating. Harvey has that and experience,
making him threatening to his MP superiors. Factor
in some ageism along with Harvey crossing someone whose money talks with a very loud voice and this
is the result you get.
To the person who posted several times under different names, Accountability, Mean, Criminal and Biased, you are a slanderous fool.
If you are going to make statements of that kind, you better back it up with facts. You are a coward and a liar. Harvey Cochran has spent almost forty years in high school baseball, and he is the embodiment of character.
For every slanderous claim you make, I can produce a thousand men and women who will attest to you the amazing impact Harvey Cochran has had on their life.
My guess is that your kid was the one who wasn't good enough to start every day. I would just hope that even if he is not a good enough athlete, he will show more backbone and character than you.
I am not sure what direction Mount Paran would like to go in, but I can assure you I would happily follow Harvey in the opposite direction.
Coach Cochran did a pretty amazing job there. Hopefully they can finish the season strong, and Coach can cap a long and successful career.
As for the Athletic Director, it seems pretty ironic to tell that spineless fellow where to go. Over the phone? Not only spineless, but I would highly question his character.
Who does he know?
For the politically correct folk out there who think a Christian man is the one who prays the loudest and craves to be seen doing it, I would argue that is the man you need to keep a close eye on! As for Harvey Cochran, he has dedicated his life to helping young men grow into real men.
The world could use a few more Harvey Cochrans, and a few less of the pious backstabbers who love to be called a Christian. Mount Paran can keep whatever ilk they want to teach to themselves. I prefer honest, hard working and dedicated people who have integrity, leadership and loyalty. That most certainly does not appear to be the folks at Mount Paran. What a black eye that school's administration is in our community.
As for mean, I can only imagine you "mean" tough and to the point. There are too many people in this world who are weak and spineless, kind of like the people who made this decision. We don't need any more people like them, or you.
Cochran says what he thinks, and means what he says. That is character. Not the kind of wimpy and childish crap you people pull. Grow up!
PS You probably voted for Obama didn't you.
Didn't they know what they were getting when they hired him? If the reasons boil down to him not representing the school well in his actions, didn't they know who he is and how he carries himself when he was hired? He's old school and rough around the edges, but they knew that when they hired him.
If in fact the A.D. told him over the phone, that's pretty gutless in my opinion. No matter what you think of the guy personally, he deserves better than that. ANYONE deserves better than that.
Because of Coach Cochran, Mt. Paran is a better place, and his baseball program infinitely better! It says a great deal of the lack of character and ethics of the Mt. Paran "leadership" to make such a blatantly stupid decision, especially in the middle of the most successfull baseball season their program has ever known.
Mt. Paran has proven itself an institution unworthy of educating and developing young minds.
By the way, North Cobb has made the State playoffs 6 of the 7 seasons since the new Coach arrived.