Ledyard — Jim Buonocore, who has coached high school football in the region with a profound passion for the last 17 years, has resigned as Ledyard's coach, assuming the newly created job at the school of assistant principal and athletic director.

"A lot of thought went into this. I've been doing this for 17 years. That's a long time. It's almost like dog years coaching football. A year-round job," Buonocore said Friday from his office. "You don't get to control the timing of an opportunity like this. This allows me to further my career professionally and stay in athletics. It's not an easy decision to give up something you pretty much based your whole livelihood on, but the day was going to have to come at some point."

Buonocore took three different programs – Stonington, Fitch and Ledyard – to a combined eight playoff appearances, five in his last eight years at Ledyard. His teams went 130-56-1 overall with several Eastern Connecticut Conference division titles and three trips to the state finals.

He led to Colonels to the state semifinals this past season, where they lost to New Fairfield. He said Friday he had an idea that might have been his last game.

"I had an inkling. My wife (Rachel) had an inkling," Buonocore said. "She mentioned to me, 'Is this it?' I said, 'I really don't know, but if it is, I'll be fine with it.' Before the season, we had discussed moving in different directions. Talking about it is one thing, but actually doing it is another. This position is attractive because I can play a role in the students' lives in a different way than just athletics. It's intriguing."

Buonocore said the football job will be filled on an interim basis for the upcoming season.

"I've been running the program in terms of weight training and offseason programs. The schedule is set," he said. "We need someone to come in and keep the ball rolling forward. We'll work hard at trying to keep the staff together. We'll post the position internally, a one-year interim position and revaluate at the end of the season. I'd expect an outside full posting at that time."

Buonocore has earned Coach of the Year honors from The Day, Norwich Bulletin, New Haven Register and Southeastern Connecticut Chapter of the National Football Foundation. In his five years as Ledyard's athletic director, the Colonels have won 33 conference titles, seven state championships and four Michaels Cup Awards, recognizing exemplary athletic achievement.

"Jim has revolutionized the way we run our athletic program," Ledyard principal Amanda Fagan said. "I look forward to seeing the good he will bring to the broader community."

Meantime, he gets to ponder a new life without the daily demands of the sport he still loves.

"Seventeen years is a long time and we went at it hard. No shortcuts," he said. "I worked with a great group of guys and kids at Stonington, Ledyard and Fitch. I keep thinking about Sundays in the fall and what I'll be doing now instead of getting to the office at 9 a.m. and game-planning till 9 at night. It's refreshing and exciting. That grind of always looking at the next game will be gone. And I still get to channel my competitiveness through the role of athletic director."

m.dimauro@theday.com