M.L. King football coach Cortez Allen resigned this week after one season and a 7-4 finish.
''Just wasn't the right fit,'' Allen told the AJC on Friday.
Allen, a Southwest DeKalb alumnus, had coached three seasons at Newton before returning to DeKalb County for the 2013 season. Allen had been on staff at newly opened M.L. King from 2002 to 2004. M.L. King was 3-7, 11-2 and 11-3 in those seasons, quickly becoming a state power under head coach Kenny Barrow.
A new head coach for M.L. King in 2014 will be the fourth in four seasons and fifth in six. Allen conceded that the history of previous coaches, all successful with their own style, made it harder for him.
‘’It’s just a different place now,'' Allen said. "It's not the same place when I was there before as defensive coordinator, not what I expected it to be.''
Corey Jarvis, who led the program to three 10-win seasons in five years, resigned after the 2009 season to take a job at Duluth. He’s now head coach at Mays.
Michael Carson led M.L. King to 8-4 and 12-1 finishes but was forced out over off-the-field misconduct. Interim coach Rober Freeman led King to an 11-1 finish in 2012 but was not retained.