SANDY — Jim Birch has spent so much of his life teaching young men the game of football, he answers more easily to coach than his legal name.
"I've been known as coach for a lot of years, so this is tough," Birch said a few hours after he informed his bosses and his players that he was trading in his cleats for a suit and tie. The head coach of Jordan High's football program resigned Wednesday morning after being appointed the assistant principal at West Jordan High School Tuesday night.
"I have a lot of mixed emotions," he said. "I'm excited because I've been going back to school to get my administration degree, and it's something I've wanted to do. It just so happened I hit it at the right time."
The physical education teacher was surprised to land a job as an administrator so quickly after finishing his studies. He said he and his wife, Shelley, who met when they attended Jordan High, decided it would be better for their family if he moved from teaching into administration.
"It's a nice pay raise for my family," said Birch, who has five boys, four of them still in school. The Birches live in West Jordan, near the boundary of Copper Hills and West Jordan High. He has one son now attending Copper Hills and three in grade school. His oldest son, Brandon, played football for Birch at Jordan High.
Leaving will be difficult for many reasons for the man who coached 37 all-state players and two MVPs. He led the Beatdiggers to a state title in 1994, the school's first in 50 years. He helped them to seven region championships and the team came in second in 1998 when they lost to Skyline. Before becoming head coach 15 years ago, Birch was an assistant for five years and a Beetdigger player before that.
The third-generation Beetdigger said the principal of West Jordan, Paul Argyle, called him Wednesday morning to see if he was ready " to trade maroon and gray for black and blue."
"West Jordan is a great school," Birch said. "It's going to be a whole new realm for me."
Birch met with his players Wednesday morning to tell them he wouldn't be at the helm of the program next season.
"It's one of the toughest things I've ever had to do," Birch said. "To tell them I'm breaking ranks and moving on. . . . It's exciting, but hard."
His players responded with tears, but Birch hopes the search for a replacement will end with one of his three assistants.
"I have three quality assistants, and if they do that, I think the transition will be easier," he said.
While his team searches for a new leader, he'll be trying out his new identity. He said that come fall, he will definitely feel a little out of sorts.
"I have spent six months of every year of my life in two-a-days," he said. "It's ingrained in me. I love athletics. I love competition. It's going to be real tough. I can already see it will be like losing an arm or leg."
E-mail: adonaldson@desnews.com