Those who have signed this petition seek to remove Coach Dorn from his position as head coach of the Fort Walton Beach High School (FWBHS) football team. Throughout his 4-year career at FWBHS the football program has suffered tremendous losses including the overall win/loss record, community support, loss of potential athletes, as well as diminished morale among players.

While our defense has been very successful in the past couple of years under the defensive coordinator the offense has struggled due to Coach Dorn and his poor decision making skills. His record since becoming head coach is 11-29 which translates to a 28%-win rate; in no other business or corporation would someone continue to be employed after they have failed to do their job 72% of the time. Recruiters have little interest in our program due to the number of losses suffered by our team and this, in turn, impacts the ability of our student athletes to be given the appropriate scholarships and football opportunities they have worked so hard for. More importantly, potential student athletes are walking away from our football program instead of running to embrace it as they have in the past; too many talented student athletes have either chosen to attend and/or transfer to other schools such as Niceville or Navarre who have more successful football programs.

In years past, FWBHS football has lived by the motto “excellence without exception” and this approach to football has earned us two State Championships as well as producing several notable players (including a Heisman Trophy winner), all who have continued to demonstrate this excellence in their respective communities. Principal Spolski, it is time to resurrect this football program to the fierce competitors we once were and to once again foster a culture of winning, of confidence, and of “excellence without exception” among these young men.