For a community that athletically, is defined by legends, there might be none bigger than Middletown High School Athletic Director Tim Ambrose.
Ambrose was the head football coach from the football program’s start in 1974 to 2004 and has been the athletic director since 2002.
Even though being the Athletic Director is one of the biggest responsibilities that Ambrose has ever taken on he is known for his time as the head football coach at MHS.
Unfortunately, for Ambrose the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association passed a rule in 2003 that prohibited athletic directors from also being coaches in any sport at that school.
Ambrose in his second year as the athletic director at Middletown High School had to choose between the football program, that he had created and been the only coach for, and being the head organizer of the school’s athletic programs.
“At first, I balked at having to do it because I would have preferred to see the junior class out because I already had time invested in them.”
Ambrose chose being the athletic director and handed over the reins of the football program to now assistant football coach, Lorne Ridenour.
During Ambrose’s time as football coach, he compiled a record of 246-75 while making 12 state playoff appearances with his teams being state semifinalists 4 times and state finalists 3 times.
Once Ambrose, made the switch from head football coach and athletic director the Middletown athletic program started to heat up.
The first accomplishment for Ambrose as just the athletic director was a Boys Indoor Track and Field championship in 2003, and from there the state titles kept piling up.
Since he retired as football coach Middletown athletics has earned 17 state championships coming from nine different sports, with the most recent ones coming from the girls soccer program, who has won three in a row, and the football team, who just won two in a row.
Ambrose puts the success of the Middletown athletic program on how supportive the community has been of all of the sports teams.
“The parents have been extremely supportive,” said Ambrose “their support gives the kids the ability to focus on their academics and athletics.”
But when the time came for Coach Ambrose to hang it up, his view was that there were no regrets and the decision for him wasn’t all that hard.
“I haven’t been able to do the thorough job that I would like to do and I felt like someone should be able to so it wasn’t that difficult at all.”
