Mark Fillmore retired as Reynoldsburg's football coach after two seasons.
He announced his resignation Wednesday in a statement to the Reynoldsburg football family.
Fillmore has served as an academic success coach at Reynoldsburg University, but was informed earlier this year that the position would be effectively eliminated at the end of the school year.
“Of course it was a difficult decision,” Fillmore told the Dispatch. “It's my alma mater. At the end of the day, it was never a hasty decision. The things I thought about, prayed about, and talked about with people close to me in my life helped me get to where I am today. …I had to make the decision that was best for myself and my family.”
The Raiders went 4-18 overall and 4-6 in OCC-Buckeye games under Fillmore.
“He's put in a really tough job and been really good to our program,” athletic director Jack Purtell said.
Fillmore replaced Buddy White, who led the Raiders to a 67-46 record with five playoff appearances and seven winning seasons in 11 years. White was hired as head coach at his alma mater, Urichsville-Claymont, in February after serving as an assistant coach at Hilliard Bradley.
Fillmore also met with players on Wednesday.
“They didn't have answers and were silent,” he said. “They just came back from spring break. They worked hard this offseason and made tremendous physical growth with their efforts in the weight room. I told them the benefits they are getting from this. I told you not to interfere.”
Fillmore, 39, attended Fork Union Military Academy boarding school in Virginia for his first two years of high school in 1999 and 2000. He attended Reynoldsburg as a junior and senior, and in his senior season, he helped the Raiders to their first Division I playoff appearance, posting 81 receptions for 1,000 yards and 11 touchdowns.
He went on to play at Northwestern University, finishing his career ranking fourth in program history in receptions and fifth in receiving yards.
Fillmore previously coached at Eastern Illinois, West Virginia Wesleyan and Dayton. He has experience teaching overseas in Poland and India.
He said he plans to continue coaching and has already received calls from other programs.
“I brought a wealth of knowledge (to Reynoldsburg) because I've seen football played in different languages,” Fillmore said. “I've been able to coach at multiple different levels, I've been able to play at multiple different levels, and it's unfortunate that things didn't work out.”
fdirenna@dispatch.com
