Oates hired to take over Eastern Wayne football program

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on May 4, 2016 1:49 PM

• Print
• Email

rcoggins@newsargus.com

Tavares Oates knew God had a plan.

He revealed it Tuesday morning.

Oates is the new head varsity football coach at his alma mater -- Eastern Wayne.

Principal Lee Johnson officially made the announcement after the Wayne County Board of Education approved the appointment Monday evening. Oates succeeds Phil Gray, who was terminated from the position in late January.

"It's a blessing. (I'm) very proud to be able to represent the school that I graduated from. I've got a lot of community support, family support, principal support (and) my AD (athletic director) support," said Oates, who started his collegiate football career at Western Carolina and finished at Winston-Salem State.

"I'm happy and thankful that I have this opportunity. I'm ready to get this thing started."

Oates is the eighth head football coach in program history.

A 1997 graduate, Oates started his career on the gridiron as an assistant coach at Goldsboro High in 2003. He left for three seasons and returned in 2011 to assist then-head coach Eric Reid.

After a one-year stint at Dillard Middle School, Oates joined Gray's staff. He handled the JV football program, and coached the varsity boys' and girls' track teams.

WCPS administrators felt Oates had "earned his stripes."

And Johnson loved his school spirit.

"We've had a lot of alumni interest in our school lately," said Johnson, who mentioned the campus is undergoing short- and long-term projects.

"We wanted to make school spirit a big deal again at Eastern Wayne. In the big scheme of things, I think it's important that he played here and I think that's going to mean something to the kids.

"It does to me."

Oates takes over a program that's experienced just 10 winning seasons and won two conference championships since 1969.

Bill Garner led the Warriors to the 1978 Mideastern 4-A crown and logged 68 victories during his career. The second-highest win total by an EW coach is 38 -- registered by Bubba Williams, whose 2010 squad claimed co-ownership of the Eastern Carolina 3-A league title.

Williams guided the Warriors to the eastern 3-A regional final in 2013 and 2014. The 2013 team set the single-season record for wins (11) that was matched by the 2014 unit.

Gray's team finished 4-7 last fall.

Oates works with the football players on a daily basis during his weight-lifting classes. That opens the door to build relationships that he plans to extend beyond the weight room and football field.

He wants the Warriors to be the community's team -- reminiscent of the days when he wore the blue and old Wake Forest gold.

His first priority?

Trust among the players and coaching staff.

"Anything I set up for them is going to be for a reason," he said. "We're going to make sure that we as a group represent this community well and meet our academic standards. (We will) walk together hand-in-hand and I'm not going to leave anybody outside the rope. One thing I want to do is win and I think if they see that I want to win, they're going to want to win.

"Come out and just give me a shot. I feel like I know how to put people in the right position, help them develop a secondary skill (on the field). I want to help our guys understand that you need to be leaders."

Oates must become a leader, too.

The challenge he faces is consistency, which begins with the program's roots -- the middle school and Wee Warriors of the Neuse River Youth Football League. Oates intends to infuse his enthusiasm and pride into the younger players -- invite them to attend practices and warm up with them on the field before Friday night home games.

It's a strategy that he hopes keeps the younger kids involved in the game, but at the same time sparks interest among potential players who roam the high school's hallways.

Oates has seen that plan succeed in other high school programs across the state.

"I was blessed to have a chance, so I know what it takes to reach that next level," Oates said. "I want to put a group of guys out there who want to reach the next level, have the potential to reach the next level and work hard (to get there).

"We're going to take this thing as we can go."