‘Win Or You Learn:' Former Westmoore Football Coach In High Spirits After Surprise Dismissal From Program

 Parents in Moore are upset after the Westmoore High School football coach was dismissed. Lorenzo Williams still doesn’t understand what led up to this decision. He says the district wanted to go in a different direction – but a host of community members believe Williams had the program on the right path. 

"You either win or you learn," said Lorenzo Williams, who remains positive despite his dismissal from the Westmoore High School football program. 

Sports help build a family. Williams lives for his family. He’s there for his children because he experienced the alternative. “My dad was not really around when I was growing up,” Williams said. 

Williams played football at every level from high school to pro and spent the last eight seasons as head coach for Westmoore High School football. “The last couple of seasons we haven’t been very good,” Williams said. 

Williams and his staff turned a 3-8 team into a playoff team this season. “We’ve been academic state champions four times,” Williams said. 

He said the district still wasn’t happy. “We like to say it’s the business of football,” Williams said. 

Williams said district leaders told him he was working too hard and wasn’t hiring the right assistants. “I take full responsibility for those things,” Williams said. 

The people he impacted showed up at Monday’s School Board meeting with a standing-room-only crowd to voice their support for the former football coach. “If the mission statement is to shape today’s students into tomorrow’s leaders, is that not what your head coach is doing?” said one parent during a public comment period. 

Clint Tiehes and Thomas Buck drove from Springfield Missouri to show their support. “It’s like a best friend you haven’t seen in a long time,” Buck said.  

Springfield is where Lorenzo coached before he took a job at Westmoore. “We all stayed pretty close together,” Tiehes said. “That’s something he instilled in us.” 

Williams said MPS can take away his title as head coach, but it can’t remove the family he built on and off the field. “That’s what God put us here to do,” Williams said. "Build relationships and love people.” 

Williams will remain on the teaching staff and will serve as a track coach. Moore Public Schools officials declined to further comment on this story.