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Daley shocked by sudden departure

Steve Daley

STEUBENVILLE — Even with recent changes at Catholic Central, head football coach Steve Daley expected to back with the Crusaders next season and for the foreseeable future.

Catholic Central, however, do not see it the same way. At 7 p.m. on Monday, the Crusaders and Daley parted ways.

Daley’s departure is the second for a Catholic Central head coach in less than two months. Basketball coach Chris Tarquinio was let go on Oct. 29.

“I don’t know for sure,” Daley said, regarding the coaching changes. “I can speculate what is going on, but I can’t answer those tough questions.”

Even with the sudden news, Daley was able to speak to his team Tuesday afternoon regarding the matter.

“Things boiled down to philosophical differences,” Daley said. “Life is about learning experiences, and this is definitely one of them. Moving forward, they (the football team) are going to be successful because they have the tools.”

With the holidays fast approaching, Daley will wait until January to figure out the next step in his coaching career while teaching at Indian Creek.

“We’ll see what happens and what comes about,” he said. “I have do what’s best for me and my family.”

Daley began his coaching career as an unpaid assistant on Central’s 1993 state championship team. He spent the last eight years as head coach, going 49-36 overall with playoff appearances in 2012, 2013, 2017 and 2018. In 2018, the Crusaders finished 7-3 in the regular season before falling to eventual Division VI state champion Kirtland in the playoffs.

He also served as athletic director before Vince Oliver took over last summer.

Daley is a 1991 Catholic Central and 1996 Franciscan University of Steubenville graduate.

“The principal, athletic director, faculty and staff of Steubenville Catholic Central High School thank Mr. Daley for his service during his time here and wishes Mr. Daley all the best as he continues his teaching career at Indian Creek High School and any future coaching career ahead of him,” Oliver said in a press release.

Daley admitted that last year was one of the toughest due to a small roster, but it also was one of the best.

“You thought things would end differently. I still had goals I wanted to accomplish there,” Daley said.

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