TROY — It was tough decision for Troy football coach Dan Gress.

But, he knew it was the right one.

After three seasons as the Trojans head man, Gress made the decision to resign.

“I have been a football coach at Troy for seven years,” Gress said. “It just came down to the amount of time it took. I have two little girls at home. It was 100 percent about spending more time with my family.”

Troy athletic director David Palmer was surprised when Hess made the decision last week, but understood.

“Dan (Gress) is a really good coach,” Palmer said. “I wasn’t expecting it (his resignation), but I admire him. Dan is a family man. He is a good husband and a good father. With the time involved in coaching, he wasn’t able to spend the time with his family that he wanted. I know it was a tough decision for him, but I admire him for making that decision.”

Gress finished with a 19-9 career record, advancing to the playoffs all three seasons.

In 2019, the Trojans finished 8-3, winning the MVL Miami Division in the first year in the league.

In a Covid affected season last year, Troy went 5-2 including a playoff win.

This past season, Troy finished 6-4, again advancing to the playoffs.

“He made the playoffs all three seasons,” Palmer said. “The last two years have been tough on everyone with Covid. Dan did a great job guiding us through that and really handled that well.”

Palmer said there is no timeline on finding a replacement, but expects to have someone in place by early 2022.

“We just posted the job Tuesday,” he said. “And we just posted it on the OHSAA website. So, I would expect in a couple weeks we will close it and start doing interviews and go from there.”

Palmer said the job is an attractive one, with the seventh grade, eighth grade and freshman all coming off winning seasons.

“I know it will be an attractive job for someone,” Palmer said. “We have winning programs at the lower levels and we have more numbers of players in the program than we have had in some time. The cupboard hasn’t been bare here for some time here. A lot of times coaches leave when the the line of talent coming into the program has run out. That couldn’t be further from the truth in Dan’s case.”

Gress is appreciative to have been part of the Troy program.

“I am really proud of the effort of my players and my assistant coaches during my time here at Troy,” Gress said. “I am thankful for the administration, the booster club, the fans. I can go on and on. It has really been a great experience.”

And Gress leaves the program in great shape.

“When you look at it, the seventh, eighth and ninth grade teams are all coming off winning seasons,” Gress said. “And we have great assistant coaches. I can’t wait to see what they are able to accomplish. I just feel fortunate to have been part of the Troy program.”

After continuing the winning ways and leaving it with in a bright future.