ROCKINGHAM — For the first time in seven seasons, the Richmond Senior High School football program will be in need of a new head coach.
During a meeting called on Tuesday morning for the program’s varsity and junior varsity players, Bryan Till announced he was resigning his post.
Till’s departure as the head coach comes after seven complete seasons, making him the longest single-tenured head coach in the school’s history. He was hired during the offseason of the 2016-17 school year.
State championship-winning head coach Darryl Barnes was coach for eight seasons over two stints, and Ed Emory coached six straight seasons (2001-2006).
During his departure meeting, Till informed players and coaches that he was leaving Richmond County Schools altogether as a coach and weight training teacher.
He added that he has no definite plans yet on where he may go next and cited “being closer” to his wife and daughters as a main reason for leaving.
“This was a tough decision to resign,” Till said in a phone call to The Richmond Observer. “I’m looking for something closer to home and I don’t have anything that’s final of where I might be going next.
“I felt this was the right time to announce my resignation and give Richmond a chance to do right by the kids.”
As head coach, Till led the Raiders to a 55-23 overall record. Richmond went 37-5 against Sandhills Athletic Conference opponents and won four consecutive conference titles between 2018 and 2021.
The Raiders made the playoffs all seven seasons with Till as head coach, posting a 4-7 record in the postseason.
In 2019, the team’s most productive season under Till, the Raiders went 13-1 and advanced to the NCHSAA 4AA West regional championship against Chambers High School.
Over the past two seasons, Richmond has gone 5-6 both years, which were two of the program’s three times in its history of finishing the year without a winning record. The other was the Raiders’ second season in 1973.
“I really appreciate the opportunity given to me by Richmond County Schools,” Till shared. “I also appreciate the support the community has shown the kids and the coaching staff. I want to say thank you more than anything else for the last seven seasons.
“One thing I want to make clear is that this team is going to be really good next year,” he closed. “We’ve gone through some tough stuff the last couple of years, and whoever comes in will be set up with a great group of young men.”
This is a developing story. The Richmond Observer will continue its coverage as more information becomes available.
