BANGOR, Maine — Mark Hackett originally planned to be the head football coach at Bangor High School for just four years after being selected as Gabby Price’s replacement in June 2001.
He was so true to that self-commitment that he turned in a letter of resignation in February 2005, only to be convinced to return to the post by school officials the next day.
Now, after 10 more seasons on the sidelines, Hackett has reached a similar conclusion. But this time it’s final, with his retirement as the Rams’ head coach after 14 years.
“When I first took the job I thought it was going to be for four or five years, and I planned on retiring after four, but I ended up staying another 10,” said Hackett, who told the team of his decision during a brief meeting after school Tuesday afternoon.
“It takes a lot of energy, and I think something fresh and new will be good for the kids and the community. I just believe that.”
Hackett posted a 108-39 record — a .735 winning percentage — during a tenure highlighted by one state championship, four Eastern Maine crowns and eight regional title-game appearances.
“I just feel it’s a good time for me personally to do this,” said the 55-year-old, a Veazie resident who works as Bangor High School’s cooperative education and vocational coordinator. “I feel I’ve done about all I can do, and I think some of the younger people who have started coaching in the system can offer a new perspective.
“It’s not for my family, but, yes, it will give me more time with my family. It’s not because I’m too old, but, yes, I’m older. It just feels right.”
Hackett’s retirement marks the end of his 28-year direct association with the Bangor football program, initially as an assistant under former Rams’ head coaches Niles Nelson, Steve Vanidestine, Bruce Morse and Price.
Like his coaching mentors at Bangor, Hackett’s teams typically employed grind-it-out, run-oriented offenses and physical defensive play.
“Mark is old school and strongly feels that toughness is a talent,” Vanidestine, the school’s athletic administrator, said. “But most importantly, his expectations for academic and athletic excellence have always reflected the mission of the Bangor School Department.”
Hackett played fullback and linebacker at Orono High School, where he graduated in 1979. He went on to play for three years at University of Maine, then served as a student assistant coach with the secondary for the Black Bears after being injured during his fourth season at the Orono campus.
Hackett went on to take an assistant coaching position at Maine Maritime Academy in Castine in 1984. He joined the Bangor staff in 1985, then left for a year to teach at the Orland Consolidated School before returning to Bangor in 1987.
Hackett succeeded Price as the Rams’ head coach on June 26, 2001, and in his first season guided Bangor to a 12-0 record, with a 20-14 victory over Portland in the Class A final earning Bangor its first state championship in 20 years and fifth crown overall.
Bangor earned subsequent Eastern A championships under Hackett in 2004, 2009 and 2010 and made additional trips to the regional final in 2003, 2006, 2007 and 2011.
The Rams had only one sub-.500 season under Hackett and failed to qualify for postseason play just twice during his tenure.
“This is all very humbling for me,” said Hackett, who also coached freshman boys basketball and was an assistant varsity basketball coach for 24 years. “When people would say Bangor High is your team, I never felt like it was my team. I felt like it was our team.
“I told [former Bangor] coach [Gerry] Hodge at one time at a dinner they had for him, ‘Thank you for letting me drive the bus.’ You as the head coach are the person who has the most influence on the direct team, but it’s not any one person’s team. It’s the school, the community and the kids’ team.”
Hackett was named the state’s Class A football coach of the year in 2001 and the Pine Tree Conference coach of the year in 2001 and co-coach of the year in 2009.
“Mark is an outstanding coach,” Vanidestine said. “He’s been a key contributor to many of the state titles Bangor has won over the past 25 years, especially in football and basketball.”
Bangor finished 6-4 in Hackett’s final season with the Rams, advancing to the 2014 Eastern A semifinals before being ousted by Cheverus of Portland.
That team dealt with some late-season controversy as nine players were assessed a one-game suspension and additional discipline for a locker-room incident Hackett walked in on, but he said that had nothing to do with his decision to retire.
“Zero,” Hackett said. “What I tell people is I would have gotten done after the first year [ when five Bangor players were suspended three days before the 2001 state final for substance abuse] if that was the case. It happens too often that you have to suspend kids, but that’s the nature of it. We follow the guidelines and we do what’s tough but we do what we think is right. I wish it hadn’t happened, but the kids, myself and the school recovered and we moved forward.”
Vanidestine said he hopes to have Hackett’s replacement determined by February vacation week.
“Mark is a great friend, and he’s stepping down for all the right reasons,” he said.
