Lenoir City football coach Gary Dugger fired over 'unprofessional conduct'
Lenoir City football coach Gary Dugger has been fired, the school announced Thursday afternoon.
In a statement posted to Twitter, athletic director Chris Brittain said that the school had learned of "unprofessional conduct" by Dugger, leading to his immediate dismissal.
Linebackers coach Mike Zeller, the Panthers' head coach from 2008-13, will take over as interim head coach.
Brittain said that a meeting between coaches and players will take place on Monday after the TSSAA's dead period comes to an end.
Dugger went 4-6 in his lone season at Lenoir City, with a 1-4 record in District 5-3A. He was hired in December 2021 after serving as an assistant at Enterprise (Alabama).
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Zeller had a 28-39 record during his six years as the Panthers' coach. He led them to their most recent winning season, going 9-3 in 2012. Zeller also coached softball at Lenoir City before resigning after the 2021 season.
Jacob Shames can be reached by email at jshames@gannett.com and on Twitter @Jacob_Shames.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: TSSAA football: Lenoir City fires coach Gary Dugger
