Brandon dismisses Lima as football coach

Posted Dec 15, 2011 by Bill Ward

Updated Dec 15, 2011 at 06:23 PM

Despite leading Brandon into the playoffs this fall as the runner-up in Class 7A-District 8, head football coach John Lima has been dismissed from the job by Eagles principal Carl Green and athletic director Tibor Kovacs.

Kovacs declined to give a reason for Lima’s position, saying only “We (he and Green) have decided to move in a different direction for 2012.”

Lima has coached Brandon the past six seasons, compiling a 31-35 record. Last year, he won the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame’s Coach of the Year Award after his team posted an 11-2 record. He also won the award, which is voted on by his peers, in 2007.

Lima’s teams made the playoffs four times, in 2006, 2007, 2010 and this fall, where an injury-riddled Eagles squad lost to Tampa Bay Tech in the opening round of the postseason.

Brandon finished this campaign with a 5-6 mark.

When reached by phone, Lima said he could not comment on the situation.