Less than five months after his hiring on Jan. 6 and before ever leading Plymouth football on the sidelines, Rockies head coach Ron Shaffer resigned Wednesday, May 20. Shaffer also resigned from his position as the high school’s dean of students, with both resignations effective immediately.
In a press release shared by Plymouth Athletic Director Josh Troyer, Shaffer said his decision “was not made lightly” and that he took “careful consideration” of his decision that he told school leadership was “the right thing to do for the program and Plymouth High School.” When the South Bend Tribune reached out to Shaffer to comment on the matter, Shaffer did not respond.
When the Tribune reached out to Troyer, he said there was not much else to share aside from what was in the press release and that it was a “personnel matter.”
“He has chosen to no longer coach the Rockies of his own accord, and we are moving forward,” Troyer wrote via text message.
Troyer also wrote the following statement in the initial press release Wednesday evening.
“Our focus remains on supporting student-athletes, coaching staff and the football program as we move forward. Plymouth High School will work quickly and thoughtfully to determine the next steps to ensure stability for our players and school community. We appreciate the continued support of Plymouth Athletics.”
Shaffer was hired in January after previous head coach Adam Handley was fired Dec. 2, 2025. Handley led the Rockies to a combined 12-30 record in his four seasons with the program, including a 4-7 mark last year.
Shaffer was the head coach at Rochester for the past five seasons, his first high school head coaching role. In a half decade leading the Zebras, Shaffer compiled a 39-13 record, including an 0-8 to 5-3 turnaround in his first season.
Plymouth has not won a sectional championship since 2015, and the next head coach will be its fifth this century.
Official practices begin in early August. Potential head coaching candidates could be Brenton Corbett, who was the defensive coordinator last season and planned to stay in the same role on Shaffer’s staff, or Kevin Garrity, who planned to stay on staff as the Rockies’ pass game coordinator. Corbett is also Plymouth High School’s Athletic Coordinator.
Kyle Smedley is a sports reporter at the South Bend Tribune. Contact him via email at ksmedley@usatodayco.com or follow him on X @KyleSmedley03.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Plymouth head football coach Ron Shaffer resigns before coaching a game
Reporting by Kyle Smedley, South Bend Tribune / South Bend Tribune
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