Statesboros Busby resigns after successful but tumultuous season

<p>Statesboro High School football coach Buzz Busby has resigned less than two months after he was fired for only one day following a dispute with his principal.</p><p>Busby guided Statesboro to the Class AAAA championship game last month for the third time in the last four years. Statesboro lost to Marist in the final.</p><p>Despite the successful run, Busby was fired by Statesboro principal Ernest Dupree on Dec. 10 _ only three days before the teams semifinal round win over Tucker in the Georgia Dome.</p><p>Busby said he was fired when he refused Duprees demand that the coach reinstate a player who had been disciplined. Bulloch County Superintendent Jesse Strickland reinstated Busby the following day.</p><p>At the time, Dupree said he had only talked with Busby in hypothetical terms about what would happen if Busby did not do as Dupree asked.</p><p>When he returned to the team, Busby reinstated the player to the team but did not agree to Duprees demand that the player be awarded a varsity letter. The player participated in only about one quarter of a game all season, not enough to earn the letter.</p><p>Busbys decision to resign apparently was based on the ultimate decision that the player be awarded a letter despite Busbys insistence that the player had not earned a letter.</p><p>Busbys resignation was announced Thursday night at the teams banquet in Statesboro, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported on its Web site Friday.</p><p>An emotional Busby could not speak to the crowd, and after Busby backed away from the podium, his resignation was announced to a stunned crowed by the Statesboro booster club president.</p><p>Minutes later, Bulloch County school board chairman Lannie Lanier announced the player involved in the dispute had been awarded the letter.</p><p>Busby, 56, was 55-11-1 in five seasons at the school and won the 2001 Class AAAA state championship.</p><p>Busby also led Kendrick High of Columbus to a tie for the 1991 Class AAA state title.</p>