Randy Broome smiles and leans back after the school board announced that he had been selected Warren Central’s head baseball coach. (The Vicksburg Post/CHAD APPLEBAUM)

[07/02/01] The search committee to replace Sam Temple at Warren Central looked all of 90 feet to the third base coaching box for their head coach.

Randy Broome, 28, the overwhelming players’ choice, garnered unanimous approval from the Vicksburg Warren School Board of Trustees Friday.

“We had a feeling he would get it, but it’s a relief to find out he got it,” said shortstop Joey Lieberman, one of five starters returning for the defending Class 5A state champions. “He’ll keep everything rolling. Everyone is pumped.”

Broome beat out three other candidates and was the unanimous choice of the search committee and board members.

“Getting into (coaching), it’s always a goal to be a head coach,” Broome said. “Four years ago …I wasn’t ready to be a head coach. Last year, I wasn’t ready … .

“I feel like the time has come.”

Broome, an assistant for Temple for the past four years, had an opportunity to apply for the Vicksburg High job two years ago, but said then he wasn’t ready.

Temple, who took the Clinton job earlier this month, was just 25 years old when he took over as head coach and school board members did not see a problem with Broome’s age or lack of head-coaching experience.

“We’ve brought them in young before and nurtured them and we’ll do the same with him,” board member Zelmarine Murphy said, adding with a smile, “Just bring us a championship.”

The Vikings’ expectations will be high heading into next season after the school’s first baseball state title and a No. 4 ranking in USA Today.

“It was an awesome year,” Broome said. “Fourth in the country, I don’t know if that will ever happen again. We were 36-3 and that’s pretty stout. That’s tough to beat … .

“Year in and year out, our goal is to win a state championship and we have the players to do that, so why settle for less?”

Broome said, with few exceptions, he will keep the same system that converted WC from a mediocre program to one of the nation’s best in just five years.

“It’s going to be easier on the kids, too,” Broome said. “There’s no sense going in and changing a system. Don’t fix things when they aren’t broken.”

The most pressing issue will be finding an assistant. Broome said he has been in contact with a few candidates. He hopes to have one in place soon.

For now, he will continue to coach the WC Junior AAU summer team.

“We need to keep this thing rockin’-and-rollin’,” Broome said. “We still have a lot of things to do. We have state championship rings that need to be paid for … I’m glad this part of it is over.”

A Baton Rouge, La., native, Broome played at Meridian Community College before moving on to Mississippi College.

In 1996, he was hired as Ray Burroughs’ assistant at Vicksburg High for one season before moving to WC.

He did not put a timetable on how long he expects to be the Vikings’ coach.

“Sam always said, Randy, I see myself here five years,’ ” Broome said. “… Right now I couldn’t tell exactly. I think a five-year mark is good to put on it, but it may be 10 years, it may be the rest of my career. Who knows?

“There are still a lot of things here that I would like to do.”

Independence High School head coach Greg Patterson, Madison Central assistant Derek Topic and Pearl River Community College coach Jim Nightingale also interviewed for the job.

In other coaching decisions:

Vicksburg High baseball coach Jamie Creel was approved as Jennifer Wilkerson’s slow-pitch softball assistant.

David Tadlock moved from coaching football at Vicksburg Junior High to assistant on the Gators’ varsity team. He will replace Kevin Jones, who left for Natchez.