Coach Brennan Brigg's Resignation Letter:
After much thought, I have made the decision to step down as the Head Coach of the Batavia Football Program.
It has been an unbelievable journey, but It's time for me to focus on the things I lost sight of over the years, and that's being a good husband, father, son, brother, uncle, and friend. I've been caught up in the ‘process’ for so long, and it is affecting the people who I love the most. In this position, if you’re doing it right, the hours are endless, late nights are a regular, and stress is the norm. Everyone talks about balance. Balance has never been a strength of mine. I’m all in or I’m out. Balance is great, but when you want to be on top, there’s no such thing as balance, and that’s part of why I need to step down. My family needs me to be all in with them, for the long haul. Unfortunately, with my family health history, I believe if I continue down this path, I won’t be around for the ones who need me the most when they need me the most.
There are so many people to thank, and it starts with the players. I have coached so many fine young men (and woman), and I truly believe I learned more from them than they could ever learn from me. It was so enjoyable to watch the growth of kids from their 7th grade year through their senior year; we truly have special athletes in Batavia. I’m forever grateful for the dedication and commitment these young athletes gave to the program, and I’m grateful for the lessons I’ve learned from them.
Next, the coaches. From the modified coaches to the JV coaches to the varsity coaches, every one of these guys have been the glue who held us together. I held the label ‘head coach’ the last 11 years, but at the end of the day, we are a program, and every coach played an important role in the success we’ve shared over that period. Any head coach worth their salt knows they can’t be successful without fantastic assistant coaches. We set high expectations on this staff, and these guys met and exceeded every one of them. They challenged me, supported me, and worked alongside me every step of the way. I’m forever in debt to them for what they gave over these last 11 years. You guys are more than friends to me, you’ve been a second family. No one can ever take away the memories and camaraderie we shared together.
I want to thank our Athletic Director, Mike Bromley, who was in my corner from day one. Between answering late night and early morning phone calls, to listening to my requests and complaints. No matter what, he was always there for me. He’s the best Athletic Director around, and he cares tremendously for our athletic programs, coaches, and the student-athletes in Batavia. Thank you for taking a chance on a 26-year-old kid many years ago.
I want to thank the rest of our administrative team, past and present, for working with me through the good and the bad. I would also like to thank the teachers, counselors, faculty and staff, who worked with me to do what’s best for our student-athletes.
I want to thank Jay Aquino, and the entire Buildings and Grounds crew, who always communicated with me and made sure our playing surfaces and experiences were the best in the area, and all of Section V.
Thank you to all of the booster parents who helped out throughout the years, especially those who took on the task of head booster. Your dedication, ability to be the ‘parent communicator’, and efforts to make every season special were admirable, and it helped me tremendously.
To my Mother, who brought motherly love to the program. Whether it was bringing donuts and cider to our players every Saturday morning for 11 years, washing muddy, bloody, sweaty uniforms in her own bathtub after games just to get the stains out, or bringing bowls of Halloween candy to the locker room for the players to have after practices on the week of Halloween. She was always there to make things special.
To my father, who is my inspiration and daily guidance. I learned so much about coaching from you, and I continue to learn from you everyday. I’m thankful I had the opportunity to coach alongside a Section V and BHS Hall of Fame member, and share a line of communication with you on the headsets over the years; it truly meant the world to me.
To my wife, Justine, thank you for putting up with the long hours, the bad moods, the hours upon hours of film I watched during any free moment I had. Thank you for bearing the weight of my stress. Thank you for keeping our two boys fed in the Fall, doubling up on bed time duty, and getting our boys dressed for hockey when daddy couldn’t be there. You’ve been by my side through the good, the bad, the big wins, and the losses; it didn’t go unappreciated.
To the Batavia Football alumni, supporters, community members, and game-night ‘staples’ such as Paul Spiotta, our chain crew, and Matt Holman. Thank you for all you did for our football team over the years. The support was amazing; from golfing in our golf tournament to showing up to flapjack fundraisers, thank you for the support.
Thank you to John Reigle, and the Batavia Bulldawgs. Thank you for being the current foundation of our Football Program. Your hard work and dedication with our youth players is special, and you’ve made these young kids respect and admire the players in our program. After all, tradition starts here. Thanks for working with me and supporting us over the years.
To the class of 2023, thank you for making this season a memorable one, I look forward to following your careers.
To the underclassmen, I am sorry I will not be seeing you through as your head coach, but the program is in great shape, I’ll still be supporting you, and you’re primed to go after that 3-peat.
I feel as though I am letting some people down, and that hurts, but I know in my heart this is the right decision for my family and my health. The program will continue to succeed, as my tenure was simply a small chapter of the long-standing proud tradition of Batavia Football.
Thank you to my supporters, my critics, and everyone who challenged me over the last 11 years. I’ve learned a great deal from all of you, and it’s helped teach me how to handle the many situations we face in life.
I look forward to more time with my family and friends, but I’ll forever be rooting for the Devils on Friday nights
