Shortly after giving word that he would be leaving Franklin at the end of the school year to accept a job at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, outgoing high school athletics director John Regas huddled with Dr. David Clendening, the superintendent of schools, to discuss potential successors.
According to Regas, “it was an easy choice.”
Bill Doty, currently the director of operations for Franklin Community Schools, was officially announced as the new FCHS athletics director Monday.
Doty said he hadn’t considered the position until being approached by both Regas and Clendening last week.
“When the superintendent asked me and said he really wanted me to consider the job and needed me in that role, that’s not something you dismiss,” Doty said.
Though he doesn’t officially begin until July 1, Doty said he already has started shadowing Regas and assistant athletic director Mike McClure and will continue to do so through the end of the spring sports season — time well spent since Franklin is hosting the girls track regional today and a baseball sectional beginning Wednesday.
Doty doesn’t seem eager to make any wholesale changes once he does take over. He plans to meet with each of the high school’s coaches to assess their needs, but he likes the overall direction of the athletic department and doesn’t want to fix what isn’t broken.
A Franklin native and 1990 FCHS graduate, Doty earned a bachelor’s degree in business management from Indiana Wesleyan University and has been with Franklin Community Schools ever since.
Taking on big projects isn’t a big deal for him — Doty oversaw the construction of the new high school a decade ago — and the man who grew up with dreams of being a teacher and a coach is excited to switch lanes.
“It seems to be coming full circle,” he said. “It’s not a coaching position, but it’s supporting the coaches and the athletes.”
According to Clendening, Doty already had been doing that to some degree in his current role.
“Bill’s leadership has been vital during our journey from good to great,” the superintendent said in a statement. “His ties to the community and ability to develop meaningful relationships with stakeholders, coupled with his understanding of the complexity of our K-12 structure, made him an obvious choice for this role. Bill loves Franklin and will continue providing the absolute best for our student athletes.”
