Aberdeen High?s Joe Harbert informed The Examiner that he has stepped down from his position as head football coach after six seasons at the helm of the Eagles.
Harbert has been promoted from physical educator to assistant principal at Aberdeen High.
“It was the toughest decision I?ve ever had to make,” Harbert said in a telephone interview Tuesday. “Football has been a part of my life and my family [for] my whole life.”
Harbert coached current Maryland linebacker Erin Henderson and New York Giants rookie Jai Lewis.
“He basically taught me the game a little bit more than what I knew,” said Lewis, who began football as a sophomore, when Harbert was as an assistant. “When I got to varsity, he tried to show me the ins and outs of football. He helped me out a lot.”
Assistant coach Brad Spence, who played his high school football at nearby Havre de Grace High, will take over for a team that was 5-5 last season. “Brad is a guy who?s got a lot of energy,” Harbert said. “He?s got a great rapport with the kids. It?s a natural progression.”
Harbert recalls balancing his time as a young coach as his biggest hurdle, but feels Spence is prepared for the job.
“Brad understands what work is ahead of him,” Harbert said. “I think it?ll be a smooth transition.”
Harbert, who was an assistant for two seasons, compiled a 39-24 record in six seasons as head coach, highlighted by the 2003 2A state championship. That season, an autumn in which the Eagles also clinched the Harford County and 2A East region titles, continues to hold a lasting impression.
“That whole season. As soon as I talk about 2003, a smile comes across my face,” he said. “The group of kids we had was so special. I?ll do anything for any of those kids, because they laid it on the line for me.”
HARBERT?S LEGACY
» Harbert, a physical educator, earned his master?s degree this past winter. He is a graduate of Fairmont State in West Virginia.
» Spence has been Harbert?s assistant for the past three seasons and is also on the Eagles varsity baseball coaching staff.
» Aside from Henderson and Lewis, Harbert also coached former Maryland Terrapin Mike Miller, Hawaii sophomore linebacker C.J. Allen-Jones, and Morgan State freshman defensive lineman Shawn Lewis.
