Athletic director at Bowling Green High School resigns

Vannett will start retirement June 21, might return to coach

3/27/2013

Editor's note: This version corrects the name of Mr. Vannett's son.

Bowling Green High School athletic director Mike Vannett is stepping down after 23 years.

Vannett, a 1976 Bowling Green graduate, also was the school’s boys basketball coach for 12 years from 1990 to 2002. His retirement will become official on June 21.

“It was more a financial decision than anything else,” said Vannett, citing upcoming changes in the retirement pensions by the State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio.

In August of 1990, Vannett was named boys basketball coach and the athletic director at Bowling Green after spending three years as the basketball coach at Ashland Crestview.

Vannett led the Bobcats to a 120-138 record. His teams never won a Northern Lakes League title, but he guided the Bobcats to the Division I regional in 1996. The team won 17 games that season.

In June of 2002, Vannett stepped down as basketball coach after accepting an administrative position as dean of students.

Vannett, 54, played basketball and baseball at Wittenberg University. He then attended Bowling Green State University and earned a masters in athletics administration. He also was a graduate assistant baseball coach.

He started his teaching career at Riverdale High School, where he spent five years coaching basketball, football, and track.

He held the school record at BG for career wins in boys basketball before current coach Von Graffin broke it two seasons ago.

“I was never concerned about that stuff,” Vannett said.

Vannett’s daughter Lindsay and son Matt both played multiple sports at BG. Lindsay is currently the volleyball coach at Maumee. His son recently wrapped up a four-year baseball career at BGSU.

Vannett said his wife Beth also has been heavily involved in BG athletics.

“I’ve spent 31 years in education,” Vannett said. “I won’t miss the six days a week, morning and night stuff [as AD]. But I will miss watching high school kids grow and develop. When you put on a home event and things go well, you take satisfaction in that.”

Vannett said he has not ruled out coming back to coaching as an assistant in basketball.

“If someone needs help I would be glad to do it,” he said. “I love the interaction with the kids.”

Contact Mark Monroe at: mmonroe@theblade.com, 419-724-6354 or on Twitter @MonroeBlade.