Plymouth High School in Indiana named Ron Shaffer as its new high school football coach in January. Now, less than five months later, the Pilgrims will need to begin a search for his replacement.
He decided to resign before he even coached his first game.
The reason for this unexpected high school football shakeup is unclear. However, it does not appear to stem from any kind of scandal. And if it is health related, we wish him nothing but healing.
Plymouth hired Ron Shaffer in January.
Plymouth High School is located in the large small town of Plymouth, Indiana, population ~10,000. Founded way back in 1876, it enrolls around 1,000 students in Grades 9-12. Approximately 65% of the student population is white. Approximately 50% are considered economically disadvantaged.
The school uses Pilgrims as its mascot for boys teams and Rockies for girls teams. They play on the Class 4A level of Indiana High School Athletic Association competition as members of the Northern Lakes Conference. Their high school football team is not very good, historically speaking.
Plymouth won one state championship in 1978. It also had back-to-back 10+ win seasons in 2014 and 2015 but the last few years have been rough. The Pilgrims went a combined 4-34 from 2020-2023. They went 6-5 in 2024 and 4-7 in 2025.
Head coach Adam Handley was fired in December. The Plymouth school board voted 3-2 in favor of termination after four seasons.
Ron Shaffer was hired as Handley’s replacement on January 5. He took over at Plymouth after five seasons at Rochester. He was known for successful rebuilds. The Zebras went 39-13 during his tenure, including an 0-8 to 5-3 turnaround in his first season.
Expectations were high. His 39 wins in five seasons was just two less than the Pilgrims’ 41 wins in the past decade. The goal was to compete in the conference, win sectionals, and develop solid young men who are going to go into the community. Shaffer was ready to bring the program back to relevance.
He already resigned as the high school football coach.
Ron Shaffer took over at Plymouth 229 days before he stepped down— both as the head football coach and as the dean of students. The school released the following statement to announce his unexpected resignation on Wednesday evening:
“Ron Shaffer has informed Plymouth High School of his decision to resign from his positions as Head Football Coach and Dean of Students effective immediately. In his message to school leadership, Shaffer shared that the decision ‘was not made lightly,’ and that after ‘careful consideration,’ he believes stepping aside is ‘the right thing to do for the program and Plymouth High School.’ Our focus remains on supporting student-athletes, coaching staff, and the football program as we move forward. Plymouth High School will work quickly and thoughtfully to determine the next steps to ensure stability for our players and school community. We appreciate the continued support of Plymouth Athletics.”
Shaffer did not provide an exact reason for his decision. The school did not allude to any kind of underlying scandal or violation. Nor did the Indiana High School Athletic Association. It’s a mystery.
Perhaps Shaffer got to Plymouth and realized after one semester that he bit off more than he could chew. Maybe he wanted to retire. I don’t know. Nobody knows!
Regardless of why, Ron Shaffer decided to step down as the high school football coach at Plymouth less than five months after he was hired. The Pilgrims need to find their replacement in a hurry!