An Ohio high school football coach found out he’d been replaced by reading the newspaper, and he never got to coach a single game

Oberlin High School in Ohio already had a difficult football year after it canceled its 2026 varsity season over low participation. Now the school’s head coach, Rob Oursler, says he only learned the district was moving on from him by reading about it in the local paper, according to BroBible.

Oberlin hired Rob Oursler as its varsity coach in late April after he spent two seasons as an assistant. He never got to lead the Phoenix in a game, as the district announced in August that it did not have enough players to safely field a varsity team. Only six to eight players showed up for the first practice, even after 14 students attended a July interest meeting.

The Morning Journal then published a story saying Oberlin was looking for a new football coach and did not plan to play eight-man football. The report described the search as the program’s fifth since 2021. The school has roughly 220 students and competes in Division VII of the Ohio High School Athletic Association. Oursler says nobody from the district had told him about the decision before the article appeared.

Rob Oursler says no one from Oberlin City Schools told him why he was being replaced

In a statement to the newspaper, Oursler said he had every intention of continuing to coach at Oberlin. “I was disappointed to learn through a public article that I would be replaced, especially since no one from the district had a direct conversation with me or provided an explanation regarding the decision,” Rob Oursler said.

Athletic director Julian Acosta-Gorman apologized for how the situation played out. “I acknowledge that communication regarding this situation fell short of what Coach Oursler deserved and I take full responsibility for that,” Julian Acosta-Gorman said. The athletic director added that there was no excuse for the breakdown in communication and that he had already apologized to the coach personally.

Acosta-Gorman also said he has a great deal of respect for Oursler and appreciates his dedication to Oberlin’s student-athletes. However, neither the athletic director nor the district has publicly explained why Oberlin decided to replace a coach who had yet to run a single game. The athletic director said he remains committed to learning from the situation and ensuring better communication moving forward.

The cancellation itself had already frustrated families. Parents and upperclassmen were reportedly upset with the decision and its timing, as senior players were left scrambling to find nearby programs willing to let them play this fall. Acosta-Gorman worked with the district to explore options before concluding the school could not safely put a varsity team on the field.

School districts have faced similar criticism over how they treat longtime staff, as seen when a bus driver was pulled from her route after helping a student rescue an injured kitten. In Oberlin’s case, Oursler’s statement focused as much on how he found out as on the decision itself.

Oursler is not leaving Oberlin entirely. He also works at the district as a building substitute, coaches the JV boys basketball team, and leads the flag football program. However, he has struck a measured tone so far, saying his passion for coaching has not changed and that he will keep standing by the values he believes matter on and off the field.

Oberlin’s next football hire will likely face pressure to rebuild participation numbers quickly, though the district has not said when it expects to name a new coach or return to varsity play.