Story
Bueno resigns as American Heritage football coach
Saturday, January 09, 2010
by
Jason Lieser
Less than a month after leading American Heritage's football team to a Class 1A state championship, Willie Bueno resigned as head coach and athletic director.
Bueno said he had been considering stepping down and decided this was the proper time to do it.
"I'm going to do some different things," Bueno said. "I'll be coaching somewhere, but I don't know where yet."
Bueno declined to give a reason for leaving the school and did not say if his resignation was voluntary.
"It's a complicated thing," he said. "American Heritage was a good place for me and my family. I'm just going to leave it at that. There's other options I want to explore."
Bueno did not know who would serve as interim football coach or athletic director.
Players said Bueno informed them in a meeting at school Friday.
"Everybody was blown back," senior running back and linebacker James Potts said. "It just came out of nowhere."
Potts said Bueno did not give a reason for his departure.
Bueno went 47-16 in five seasons coaching the Stallions. He guided the team to its first state championship in 2007 and won the 2009 championship Dec. 11. American Heritage went 11-3 this season.
"I was surprised, because usually a coach resigns after a losing season," said Isaiah Howard, a senior who played cornerback and wide receiver. "None of us know the real reason. He won two state championships in the last three years, so it's shocking."
Prior to being hired at the Delray Beach school in 2005, Bueno compiled a 33-5 record in three seasons at Glades Central and coached the Raiders to a state championship in 2000.
He was not retained following the 2003 school year as part of a major housecleaning of the athletic department.
Bueno was an assistant coach at Glades Day for two years before being hired at American Heritage.
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User Comments:
stallionPride commented on January 9, 2010 at 11:23 p.m.: report abuse
Bueno is a great coach. I"m sure great things are ahead
AHstallions commented on January 10, 2010 at 12:19 a.m.: report abuse
Get Real, tell me bout it man..lets 2 great coaches go in a row
cubichi commented on January 10, 2010 at 7:14 a.m.: report abuse
damn, little jimmy is still playing for heritage?
Stop Playing Race Cards commented on January 10, 2010 at 8 a.m.: report abuse
"he know what type of kids he need to win."
..... so ... He cant WIN ... with those other "types" of kids ...right ? ....
If he is so "GREAT" .... Why cant he do that?
Funny how they win with those other "type" of Kids at Jupiter Christian .....
"The schools do not want the black kids in there schools" ......
....Then ... Why do they go ? It they are so good.. They should be starting and playing where they are at .
pope commented on January 10, 2010 at 8:41 a.m.: report abuse
WILLIE WAS KICKED OUT OF GD NOW AH
pope commented on January 10, 2010 at 8:42 a.m.: report abuse
Sorry meant CC and AH
PB Sportsfan commented on January 10, 2010 at 8:45 a.m.: report abuse
If they stop recruiting and still win, they'll earn the respect of people outside the school.....
Jack commented on January 10, 2010 at 1:42 p.m.: report abuse
Coach Bueno is a legend, he doesn't have many losses, he has taught me everything I know about football. He will be missed I'm only a freshman, he's had a huge impact on my life. Go Stallions
sportparent commented on January 10, 2010 at 5:24 p.m.: report abuse
Let‘s all admit something’s:
ALL Private Schools recruit to some point. Also Public Schools do the same thing! A little differently… like changing ur address, signing kids up for the stem programs and waving fee’s…..so please it goes both ways. Only thing is ….
• ALL Private Schools have finical aid programs to help offset the cost of tuition and some even have a few types’ scholarship programs and some offer discounts if u work for the school.
• Those families who are able to take advantage of these programs,are doing so because they know the education, the athletic programs and college opportunity are better for their kids if there able to get in.
• An NO ONE is Forced to come or play at these schools it’s a choice!
American Heritage is a good school doing things the right way! And more than ever families are trying to get in.
AH Did Not Cheat! Coach Bueno and his staff did an amazing job with this team … They worked hard to make it to States and THEY WON IT! The boys on this 2009 Wining Team were both BLK & WHT, the starters were FR, SO, JR and SR, and they wanted to play for this School and this Coaching staff!
Best of Luck to you Coach Bueno were ever you go!
PB Sportsfan commented on January 10, 2010 at 8:06 p.m.: report abuse
SportsParent:
When you are approached by a coach saying that we’ll give you financial aid if you play for us……THAT IS ILLEGAL! PERIOD! Kids transfer between public schools to play for good coaches and I totally understand that. But when a kid is getting “Paid” thats a problem. If you are recruited in anyway…..thats a problem. Here is thing…..FHSAA should enforce it or openly allow it. If the playing field is uneven because of recruiting, thats just wrong.
AHS2 commented on January 10, 2010 at 11:12 p.m.: report abuse
After deciding on your own you would like to apply to American Heritage because you want to play football for a winning team. After you fill out finacial aid papers by yourself you are then approached by a coach in the business office who would like to meet an incoming student who plays football and lets you know you have reached the financial aid requirements is the farthest thing from recruting. Kids want to go to AH because they want to win and want a better education while doing it and many of them meet the financial aid requirements. Unless you have actually been involved in athletics there and have went through this so called "recruiting" process which is a joke you have no clue the way it works. Just more people hating on a team thats winning. All I gotta say is I have a ring...
stallionPride commented on January 10, 2010 at 11:34 p.m.: report abuse
PB Sportsfan,
Not sure what school you are for but you have been on every blog saying AH recruits. Do you have any evidence? My son played there. He was not recruited. He won a state championship and wears his ring with pride. I have a younger son in youth football, who is an All Star. I will begin to look where he should go to high school when he is in middle school. If Bueno is one of the choices, then I will go with him. It is that plain and simple. I want my kids to have a better education than what the public schools offer and I want them to have the best chance to make it to the next level.
Some private schools don't go after the financial aid to allow lower income players/students to come to their school and that is their choice. However, don't be an elitist and then call American Heritage a cheat. That diversity was another reason I sent my son to AH. I wanted him to go to school with people from every walk in life, not just the people who could afford $20K a year to send their kids to school. These kids are getting a fine education. Did you know that AH will not allow you to graduate if you have not been accepted to a college. Tell me what public school has that requirement.
Rocky commented on January 11, 2010 at 7:34 a.m.: report abuse
stallionPride,
yes, I have proof. Our school was playing your school (middle school) AH played their 9th, and 10th graders against our 6,7,8 graders yes, you smacked our team around and the coach is a peice of s*&t and kept running the score up.
Back to the story, those same kids were bragging in the stands about that, guess what happened in the ensuing months? an investigation was done and AH had to forfiet their games...so yes, they do cheat!
By the way, how did the game agains JC go this year!
PB Sportsfan commented on January 11, 2010 at 8:33 a.m.: report abuse
stallionPride,
I don't want to go into details in this forum, but let's say....I wouldn't be throwing around these allegations out there if I didn't see any evidence of this.
When my son is of age to go to middle high school, my family will have to make a decision as well on a choice of schools. I too would like my children to have a better education than the public schools provide. We'll make a decision based on many things, athletics included. But I will tell you that if we feel our son has a chance to play Division 1 football.....I will not have him play at the 1A or 1B level. It is just not as respected as the other levels in Florida by college recruiters. But, hey thats another argument!
I'm not saying theirs not good families at AHS or teachers. But, when you know that families have been approached about being apart of the program, then offered financial aid/grants or scholarships......thats the issue. When you have programs being developed in one year because of an influx of student athletes, thats a problem!
FHSAA should either allow recruiting at schools or ENFORCE IT! It creates an unfair advantage in prep athletics. Unfortunately, they do not have the resources that the NCAA does and do not really investigate these issues...
J-Diesel92 commented on January 11, 2010 at 9:50 a.m.: report abuse
PB Sportsfan this post isn't entirely directed towards you but if your son turns out to be a D1 caliber player it will not matter what level his school is in. Colleges will find him. Look at the Taylor kid from GDS. He has had college coaches drooling since he was in the 8th grade. Too many parent base their decision on just that alone. I can name a dozen of NFL players all over the country that went to small prep schools. You people act as if Heritage is the only one who does these types of things. I notice its all outsiders who are pointing the finger at Coach Bueno and saying nothing but negative things about him. Who are you to judge a man you have never met? Im not even friends with Bueno but I did have the opportunity to meet and talk to him through my nephew a few years ago and I have nothing but positive things to say about the man. I want to meet someone who will tell me with a straight face that Bueno is a cheater. As far as im concerned the man did his job and did it well. Has three state championships to prove it and from what ive been told has a lot of friends in college coaching who obviously will not have a problem with him on their staff.
PB Sportsfan commented on January 11, 2010 at 10:40 a.m.: report abuse
J-Diesel92,
College coaches gauge the level of High School competition in all sports. The Taylor Kid is a horrible example. His father is an NFL player, who had both HS and College success. His father played in the Glades and heck, there are always college coaches evaluating talent out there. If you take a team like Dwyer and compare the amount of division 1 talent vs AHS, I'm sure the numbers are quite one-sided. I'm not saying you can't be discovered, but putting higher level school with good coaching gives you a better chance. The quality of football being played at the 1A and 1B level is just not very good compared to the levels above them.
I've said this before, I'm not questioning Coach Bueno's coaching ability. I've questioned the tactics of the Athletic Department that he was formally the Athletic Director of. AHS may not be the only school who uses these tactics, but does that make it right? When you have parents condoning this behavior using that rationale, it's easy to see why this is happening.
Showmethemoney! commented on January 11, 2010 at 2:47 p.m.: report abuse
Bueno sells sporting goods for the same D1 outfit that runs the camps that allow him to hand pick his teams...
Show me a comprehensive audit trail of all THOSE fund$...
J-Diesel92 commented on January 11, 2010 at 3:57 p.m.: report abuse
Idk PB Sportsfan,
I remember watching that 07 AHS team and I believe they could have played with and possibly even beat just about anyone in the state besides Miami NW, Pahokee, and St. Thomas lol. However you are right the Taylor kid is also genetically gifted and has a daddy who is one of the best running backs in the league. I think many small school powerhouses such as AHS, GDS, Jupiter Christian, etc. can play with many schools bigger than them. Im not saying they will beat schools like Dwyer or Glades Central which has already been proven but they they can hang with schools on that level. Like I said if you are a high school kid who has the size, speed, and strength a D1 school is looking for than you will be recruited. No question. As far as the athletic department goes I have no comment. My kid didnt go there but I know it is unfair to just pick on AHS when you got that big bad school down in Ft. Lauderdale who gets in kids from all over the damn place. Hell, look at Jacksonville Bolles. Im sure those two are as clean as a whistle and they have been powerhouses for years...Im sure all their players pay their tuition as well...
PB Sportsfan commented on January 11, 2010 at 5:46 p.m.: report abuse
J-Diesel92,
The subject of this blog is the AD of AHS, thats why the focus has been on them.
If you remember...in 2007 AHS lost to Kings during the year, who was a 2B school that year. Pahokee (2B) hammered Kings twice that year, that was the State Champ at the level above AHS. Kings, AHS and JCS can beat bigger schools and they have done that... There's a major difference in the quality of football when you go above the 1A level..
PARENT411 commented on January 11, 2010 at 6:37 p.m.: report abuse
As a parent of a football player who is D-1 bound and also has the acedemics to back it up can say first hand that AHS only corrupts the kids that are in the program........ not too many of them that leave there end up going very far w/o trouble. Also they do recruit and they dont explain the processs clearly. They hold transcripts if you decide you dont like the program, They also have kids in college still working off hours and thats more of the problems that the outsiders dont know about!!!! Maily what Bueno dose is he has all the ducks do the dirty work and sits behind the fence once confronted he folds and thats why hes running once again. Id like to see how many kids sign this year. To have such a winning team all his seniors shoiuldbe going to a D1 on a full scholarships.. The numbers dont lie!!! Hes not for the kids, he is very selfish!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
J-Diesel92 commented on January 11, 2010 at 9:33 p.m.: report abuse
PB Sportsfan,
Sure there is no question the level of competiton above 1a is better but I wouldn't use 2B as an example. Look at Pahokee's district competition in the past. Besides Kings there was John Carroll, Cardinal Newman and Inlet Grove I think. I mean come on youre gonna tell me its that much better. It wasn't even fair for Pahokee to play those teams which is why they played all the big schools in PBC. In 2B there was only Pahokee and Trinity Catholic. Everyone else was just average. Now 2a and up thats a different story. Look at what happened to Pahokee this year when a few 2a teams dropped down. Im not calling out PK btw, Im just saying 2b as a whole wasnt that much better than 1a. If you exclude Pahokee I think Heritage, Glades Day, Fort Meade and North Florida Christian could have definitely competed in 2b. Off topic but I always wondered how PK's dominant run would have fared in 2a. You had Madison County and Bolles. Now that would've been something.
PB Sportsfan commented on January 11, 2010 at 9:48 p.m.: report abuse
J-D,
You're totally right....before this year! But right now 2B is tough as nails.
Pahokee has had a TON of legit players during their run, but have you ever seen Bolles play? Year in and year out, I'd say they are the best coached team in Florida. Corky Rogers has been there forever.....great program.
J-Diesel92 commented on January 11, 2010 at 10:02 p.m.: report abuse
O yeah I've seen them play many times only on TV though. They handily beat Anquan Boldin's team back in 98. I love watching them play. The most disciplined high school team I've ever seen.
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