Jeannette athletic director Ryan Hayden resigns

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Thursday, June 17, 2021 | 10:01 PM

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Ryan Hayden is stepping down as athletic director at Jeannette after two years on the job.

Hayden, 29, will continue to teach sixth grade in the district.

A Hempfield graduate and former Seton Hill baseball player, Hayden wants to pursue a master’s degree, possibly get a principal certification and also get back into coaching.

He is a former Hempfield assistant baseball coach and has a group hitting business to which he would like to dedicate more time.

“I think we helped to move the program forward and whoever we get to take over will be in a decent place,” Hayden said of Jeannette. “I love coaching, and I want to get back into it. I like to give back to (baseball).”

In his resignation letter, Hayden wrote: “I am forever indebted to those individuals who put their trust in me and gave me a chance to lead in this capacity.”

Hayden also has worked with middle school football teams at Hempfield and Greensburg Salem, while also serving as a boys basketball coach for the seventh- and eighth-grade team at Jeannette for one year.

“It’s been an absolute privilege working alongside guys like (football coach) Roy Hall and (boys basketball coach) Adrian Batts, along with many others, who really helped me and treated me well,” Hayden said.

Hayden said the recent dip in football roster numbers had “zero impact” on his departure.

The defending WPIAL Class A champion and PIAA runner-up Jayhawks are going to take on a whole new look this fall. The team had just 30 players sign up, but that number is dwindling as summer workouts approach.

Jeannette has seen a significant number of key players leave the district, Hall said, including Brett and Brad Birch (Gateway), Ryan Kimmel (Greensburg Central Catholic), Taishaun Jamison (Greensburg Central Catholic), Jaydin Canady (Greensburg Central Catholic), Eli Binakonsky (Hempfield), Basil Wilson (moved to Texas) and Louis Callaway (Woodland Hills).

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Jeannette