Owen head football coach steps down

Nathan Padgett accepts assistant principal position at Reynolds

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
June 10, 2021

Nathan Padgett, who took over the Owen High School football program in 2015, is stepping down from the position after accepting an assistant principal position at A.C. Reynolds. Photo by Fred McCormick

Nathan Padgett is releasing the reins of the Owen Warhorses.

The head football coach, who took over the Warhorse program in 2015 after the retirement of longtime head coach Kenny Ford, has accepted an assistant principal position at A.C. Reynolds High School.

Padgett, a 1994 graduate of Owen who played for his predecessor, said the decision to leave his alma mater was not an easy one. 

“This was probably the hardest decision I’ve made in my life,” Padgett said. “They say it’s hard to come home, but it’s even harder to leave. It’s hard because it was always a goal of mine to come home, and I wore that maroon helmet like many players before me and experienced the same pride and tradition that is so special to all of us.”

A position in administration has been another goal of Padgett’s since he received his master’s degree from Western Carolina University in 2015.

“I’m on the back third of my career, “ he said. “This is something I’ve always had in the back of my mind, and this move happened quickly, and unexpectedly. It was too good of an opportunity for me to turn down, and it was the best decision for me and my family.”

Padgett, who has been teaching in Buncombe County for 14 years, will miss the relationships he developed with his players during his coaching career at Owen.

“I’m most proud of the way I’ve bonded with the players,” Padgett said. “Those relationships are something I will always hold very close. My coaching staff is a great group of men, and we stepped in after the legend Kenny Ford retired, and we grabbed the bull by the horns. We got thrown over the fence a few times, but we climbed back over that fence and jumped back on that bull.”

The departure of Padgett is the latest in a series of moves that will impact the Owen athletic program. Athletic director Anthony Lee, who was the school’s head baseball coach and football team’s offensive coordinator, retired at the end of the school year. Clint McElrath, head coach of the Warhorse basketball and track and field programs, accepted an assistant principal position at North Buncombe. Head volleyball coach Kim Clark will not return to the program after four seasons and junior varsity football and girls basketball assistant coach Tim Raines is moving out of the area. 

The Warhorses qualified for the NCHSAA 2A State Playoffs twice under Padgett, who led his team to the second round in 2019.