SLATER -- After 13 years on the sidelines, Tom Doherty has resigned as Slater's head football coach.

In a letter to the school board last month, Doherty claimed that he was "not sure I fit in with the direction they're trying to turn the program." Doherty, a tenured staff member, plans to retain his job as high school guidance counselor if he doesn't find a football job which fits into his family's priorities.

Doherty's Wildcats have compiled a 50-88 mark during his term. They have not won a Lewis and Clark Conference championship, although finished third in 2005, and Slater has never reached the MSHSAA playoffs. Still, "I thought we were doing good things," said Doherty -- pointing to a six-year stretch when the team's mean grade-point average was 3.0 or higher.

"We were concerning ourselves with more than just wins and losses," Doherty explained.

A search is under way for Doherty's replacement.