June 3, 2020

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. --- The Jefferson City Jays had the best football program in Missouri for more than four decades.

It wasn't even close.

It was a run that started in the late 1950s and lasted until the turn of the century. The dynasty Pete Adkins built was unrivaled.

Wow, winning was fun.

But in recent years --- actually, in recent decades --- the program's hit hard times. It's been on life support. The heartbeat of championship success starting fading year after year, until the program had little pulse at all.

Now, it appears to have flatlined. With the start of the season less than three months away, it's a program without direction.

Terry Walker, who many thought would be the savior of the program, turned in his resignation Wednesday after two unsuccessful seasons.

This is basically a done deal, but it won't be finalized until the school board meets later this month and accepts his resignation.

Sources tell me negotiations with Walker will continue until then, but they're not hopeful of any resolution.

Superintendent of Schools Larry Linthacum had no comment, saying he couldn't comment on personnel matters in the district.

Walker wasn't available for comment, either, as he was sitting bedside with one of his players who's in critical condition at University Hospital in Columbia on Wednesday evening.

Three issues are the sticking points. There are apparently others, but these are the three being revealed publicly for now --- and they're three things Walker has apparently been asking for since he was hired 2 1/2 years ago.

^ For the football team to have priority use of the Adkins Stadium field during the season;

"Terry had no control over the field," said veteran coach Ron Cole, who had planned to rejoin Walker's program as defensive coordinator and also help with the offensive line. "He had to ask permission to practice on it."

^ Year-round control of the weight training program for his players, a program that would be run by football coaches, 

^ More teaching positions at the high school for his assistant coaches. Walker wanted eight of his 11 assistants at the high school and that, by comparison, is a lower ratio than the football program at Capital City High School already enjoys.

The days of enjoyment for the Jays seem long gone. Walker went 6-14 in his two seasons after replacing Ted LePage, who stepped down after directing the program for 12 years.

LePage left in 2017 after his only losing season with the Jays. and that was the first of three straight losing seasons --- the first time that's happened to the program since 1949-51.

Not long after, however, the program took off.

Adkins was hired 1958 and in the next 37 years, he won 354 games (he finished with 405 career wins) and nine state championships.

After Adkins joined the Jays, the next four decades were staggeringly successful:

^ 1960s, a then national-record 71 game winning streak;

^ 1970s, three consecutive state champions and two points shy of four straight after a 7-6 loss;

^ 1980s, two state championships, and it was also the decade this amazing streak started --- the Jays advanced to the semifinals --- or beyond --- in 14 of 16 seasons;

^ 1990s, five straight championships, four of those coming in Adkins' final five seasons, the last coming under Cole with help from players like Kirk Farmer, Justin Gage and Justin Smith.

LePage had some success during his tenure with two trips to the semifinals, but fell short of glory. Walker had even less success in his two years, but fans were still holding out hope --- he played for Adkins on the 1984 state championship team, after all, and his old-fashioned coaching style was reminiscent of Adkins.

"I came back to help Terry, he was one of my favorite players I ever coached," Cole said. "And I wanted to help the program and I wanted to help the kids, those three things."

It's the second time Cole has unretired. He joined the program in 1975, he was an assistant for Adkins for 20 years, head coach for five years, before retiring for the first time in 1999.

Cole returned to help Ted LePage for a few years before his second retirement. Now ... who knows?

"I haven't been in contact with anybody, I don't know where things stand," Cole said. "Everything's up in the air for all the coaches, everything's in limbo. We don't know what's going to happen.

"But with the board not accepting the letter (of resignation) yet, I still think the thing can go either way."

Loeffler's Link

Walker resigns as head coach,
outcome still isn't finalized --- yet

With legendary coach Pete Adkins in the background, head coach of the Jefferson City Jays Terry Walker looks at a gathering of fans at a fundraiser for the program in 2018.

Chris Leuckel