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Dad: Grades, not numbers, behind transfer

Tribune photo by BILL WARD

Carlton Gunn, center, stands with his two sons, Jarrold, left, and Andre. A standout in both basebal and football, Andre Gunn recently transferred from Middleton High to Hillsborough High. The Gunn family cited academic issues as the reason Andre made the switch to Hillsborough.

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By BILL WARD | TBO.com

Published: July 11, 2009

Carlton Gunn knows plenty of people will roll their eyes in disbelief, but he says academics was the primary reason his youngest son transferred to Hillsborough High School from Middleton.

"If Andre does get the opportunity to play [sports] in college, we think he will be better prepared academically at Hillsborough," Gunn said. "I want to make this clear: Football and baseball is not the reason he transferred."

Gunn said he has six years "invested" in Middleton — four with his oldest son, Jarrold, who graduated from the central Tampa school in 2007, and two with Andre, who will be a junior this fall.

Jarrold returned home this year after becoming academically ineligible to play football at Tennessee State. He enrolled at Hillsborough Community College and hopes to return to playing at a Division I school.

Gunn wants Andre to avoid a similar detour.

"I know what it's like to be pushed on through high school," said Gunn, who played for Tennessee after earning Parade All-American honors at Robinson High in 1977. "You're talking to a prime example right here."

Middleton received a D grade from the state for the 2008-09 school year and faces restructuring if it does not improve. Hillsborough received a C; it was an A school last year.

Andre, who was Middleton's most valuable player on offense last year as a lineman and was also a standout baseball player for the Tigers, transferred to Hillsborough in June. He said it was difficult leaving his friends at Middleton, but he was convinced it was the right decision.

"You've got to look deep down into it," Andre said. "You've got to think about your schoolwork and where you can become a better Christian, a better person and better prepared for the next level."

Gunn said he has no doubt there are parents who transfer their children for athletic reasons, which is not allowed. None of the parents of football players who recently transferred were willing to go on the record with the Tribune saying that was their primary reason.

But Armwood football coach Sean Callahan is among several coaches who said one of the reasons for so many transfers is parents seeking the best opportunity for their children. That means not only finding a team where their child will get the most playing time, but also a program where their son or daughter has the best chance of landing a college scholarship.

"As a parent who had three kids go through this school system who were all athletes, parents want their kids with good people, good schools and programs for a number of reasons," said Callahan, whose son Casey recently signed with Division I-AA school Stony Brook University in New York. "I'm not saying Armwood is the best program — we have kids who leave us, too — but I believe that parents wanting what's best for their children are a big part of it."

Reporter Bill Ward can be reached at (813) 259-7456.

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