Online petition has an idea of who should be Fort Mill’s next football coach

A former Fort Mill High football player has launched a petition to promote his preference for the Yellow Jackets’ next football coach.

Cam Sponheimer, who graduated last year, started an online petition through www.change.org to get offensive line and special teams coach Frank Ambrose hired as the next head coach for the varsity team. Thus far the petition has more than 550 signatures.

“I never thought it would blow up,” said Sponheimer, who is now at Clemson University. “It is pretty cool.”

Eleven-year coach Ed Susi resigned his position as Fort Mill’s head coach last week. Ambrose said he has heard about the petition, which caught him off guard.

“I woke up Saturday morning and my phone was blowing up,” he said. “It took me by surprise.”

Ambrose, who is the school’s head track coach, said he doesn’t know if the petition will work, but he was humbled by it. He has applied for the vacant head football coaching position.

“If it does anything, it shows I made a difference and it validates what we do as coaches,” he said. “It is humbling that you make a difference in some kids’ lives and you mean something to them.”

Sponheimer said he started the petition because of what Ambrose means to the Fort Mill team.

“He has done a lot for me,” he said. “We didn’t want him overlooked. Everyone loves him. He is so much fun to be around.”

Sponheimer said he plans on e-mailing the Fort Mill School Board the petition and is now aiming for a thousand signatures. Sponheimer played under former coach Ed Susi and said he respects his former coach, but would like to see Ambrose get the job now that it is vacant.

“Coach Susi done a lot for me as well,” he said.

Fort Mill athletic director Dwayne Hartsoe said they have already received nearly 50 applications in the one week that the job has been open. He said the school would like to have a decision by the first of the year with regards to filling the position.

This story was originally published November 20, 2017 at 11:17 AM with the headline "Online petition has an idea of who should be Fort Mill’s next football coach."