COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) -
A football assistant head coach with an 18-year history at Spring Valley High School won't be taking the field with his players this season.
Coach Mike Armstrong was recently transferred to Blythewood Middle School and hundreds of former students, parents, and friends are not happy with the decision.
They're signing an online petition to re-instate the coach on the website Change.org.
Comments as close as Columbia and as far away as Connecticut show the impact Armstrong has had on his players and students.
"Coach Armstrong played a vital role in my life growing up," said one commenter. "He was my first high school teacher and the best motivator I have ever known."
Former football player and friend Matthew Hasik started the petition, hoping to help re-instate Armstrong as the assistant head coach and strength and conditioning coach at Spring Valley.
"It just felt like he was done wrong," Hasik said.
Officials with the Richland 2 School District say Armstrong was put on paid administrative leave a few weeks ago until he was transferred to Blythewood Middle. Officials won't comment as to why Armstrong changed schools, but his attorney, Lewis Cromer, says the coach was forced out.
"He was suddenly told he would no longer be coaching and he would no longer be at Spring Valley High School. He would be assigned to Blythewood Middle School and that was the only choice he had to keep his job," Cromer said.
Cromer says all this stems from a fight between two players that happened during a workout this summer, but Cromer is unclear how the fight cost his client his coaching job.
"Never in his whole career has he ever been accused of anything other than being an excellent coach," Cromer said.
A long-standing coach with a decorated background, such as National Assistant Coach of the Year, Who's-Who Among American Teachers, and other awards, he has a long following of supportive students who want their coach back.
Lionel Henry says he still puts many of Armstrong's good habits into practice today even after 9 years.
"It still upsets me because I think a lot of future students at Spring Valley High had a lot to gain from the values, moral, and character he instilled," said Henry.
As of 11 p.m., 312 people have signed the online petition.
The district says they cannot comment on personnel matters, but they do say that the matter has been resolved.
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Coach Mike Armstrong was recently transferred to Blythewood Middle School and hundreds of former students, parents, and friends are not happy with the decision.
