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Neil Blankenship
Staff Reports
At noon on Tuesday, Swain County Schools announced that Swain County High School Head Football Coach Neil Blankenship is stepping down.
In the statement, Blankenship cited wanting to spend more time with his family, as well as feeling it was time for a change.
“I am stepping down as Head Football Coach at Swain High School. This was a difficult decision, one that I certainly did not take lightly, and I want to add that it was not one that was forced on me. I have reached a point in my life where I feel like I need a change. This has been my dream job; I have been blessed to be a part of Maroon Devil Football for as long as I have.
"I want to thank all our assistant coaches for their passion and dedication as well as every single player who I was fortunate enough to coach over the years, as well as one of the most passionate fan bases in the state. I am blessed to be able to walk away with so many great memories and even more importantly to me so many great friendships.
"No matter where this next stage takes me, I will always be a Maroon Devil!”
The news may come as particularly suprising to Maroon Devils given that he took time off during a previous season.
Blankenship returned to the Maroon Devils sideline in 2021 after a year away to be with his dying father.
Regardless, Blankenship has an impressive legacy at the helm for the Maroon Devils football team. In his 9 full seasons at the as head coach, he finishes with an overall mark of 84-37, leaving him 3rd in all time wins at Swain behind only Hall of Famers Boyce Deitz (201) and Rod White (94).
Blankenship qualified for the playoffs in all 9 seasons finishing with one Western Regional Title, 2 Western Regional Runner-ups and one State Runner-up trophy.
Blankenship will remain as the Athletic Director at Swain High School.
The search for a new football coach will begin immediately.