With a slew of returning starters, the Penn Hills Indians are expected to be one of the top football teams in WPIAL Class AAAA next season.

But their highly successful coach won't be with the team.

Penn Hills has decided it does not want Neil Gordon back as coach after 21 seasons. Gordon, who won 156 games and guided the Indians to the WPIAL title game only two seasons ago, said he was "blindsided" by his removal.

Neil Gordon

The Penn Hills school board had a public meeting Monday night, but Gordon's status was never discussed at the open meeting.

Gordon said he was informed of the decision Tuesday in a meeting with Penn Hills superintendent Patricia Gennari and assistant superintendent Joseph Carroll.

"The superintendent said, 'The school board has directed me to tell you that we are opening your position because we want to go in a different direction,' " Gordon said. "I almost had a heart attack."

Gordon said he wants his job back.

"Absolutely I want it back. It's mine," he said.

Neither Gennari, Carroll, or school board members could be reached for comment. Athletic director John Peterman said he was told not to comment and to refer all inquiries to Teresita Kolenchak, public relations coordinator of the Penn Hills School District. Kolenchak said the school board did not vote to open the position.

"A decision was made," Kolenchak said. "It wasn't a vote. No vote was taken."

When asked who made the decision to open the position, Kolenchak said: "It's a supplemental contract. Supplemental contracts are reviewed by the board every year."

Gordon said: "I don't know what to say because I still think this has to be a joke. I still cannot accept the fact that I am not going to coach Penn Hills."

"They said they wanted to go in a different direction, but that's the line everyone uses. I want to know what was wrong with the old direction?"

Gordon's record was 156-74-2. He won WPIAL and PIAA titles in 1995, his teams qualified for the playoffs 16 times, including the past 10 years in a row. He also won five conference championships.

Gordon was on a one-year contract and said he was asked by the board to put his future intentions in writing. He originally asked for another one-year contract but then decided to ask for a three-year contract "just for a little more stability in the program."

He thought Monday's school board meeting was to ratify his new contract.

"I had no inkling of this," Gordon said.