They may be rivals on the field, but one thing they can both agree on: both Bandys and Maiden want their head coaches back.

Head football coaches Tom Brown of Maiden and Randy Lowman of Bandys both retired in December from teaching full-time. When both retired, each one wanted to return to coaching as a non-faculty coach, and still receive their full state retirement benefits.

State law says a public-school employee who wishes to return to work after retiring — and continue to earn retirement benefits — must wait six months. Even then, there are no guarantees, as the candidate's return must be approved, hence Brown and Lowman. The final decision on whether-or-not Brown and Lowman can return to their posts will come from a vote by the Catawba County School's Board of Education.

In the meantime, while Brown and Lowman await their fates, their assistants and other close friends are gathering around them and doing their best to make the powers that be see both are the best fit for each school.

At a Board of Education meeting on Monday, Brown showed up, and several of his assistants and athletic boosters followed in support. One of those assistants, Butch Parker, who has been with Brown for 20 years, credits Brown for what he has accomplished, and says Brown is to thank for the success Maiden has had over the years. "He's why I'm where I am," Parker said. "He brought me into coaching.

"If anybody knows the tradition of the joy and excitement of going to those playoff games (at Maiden), and have enjoyed that over the years, whether they like coach or not, they should want him back," Parker said.

Brown, who will be 65 in July, has been with Maiden for a total of 35 years in two tenures. Eclipsing the 350-win mark last season, he is one of the winningest coaches in state history at 352-177-7, and he holds the record for most wins at a single school (330). He has taken the Blue Devils, who finished 7-6 last season, to the state playoffs 28 times.

With the school's success on the football field and the revenue it has drawn, the athletic department has been able to allocate some of its monies to help with needs of the school outside athletics. New computers for Maiden were bought once using money from the athletic department, at the discretion of Brown, and so was a new truck. "He's meant so much to the school, and to me," Parker said.

Lowman, who graduated from Bandys in 1972, has been a coach for the Trojans since 1978. He has a career record of 166-92-1 since becoming the head coach in 1987, and has three state championship appearances since 1996. Bandys finished 6-6 last season.

One of Lowman's greatest attributes, according to Bandys assistant Chris "Chopper" Fulbright, is his relationship with the students and former players of Bandys. "Lowman is a top-notch person," Fulbright said. "He is Bandys. He went to school there, he came back, he done his assistant job — ask anybody outside of Bandys about Bandys and who's the first name that pops into their head? Randy Lowman."

Both assistants recognized and realize the fact that not everyone in their respective communities — Maiden and Catawba — necessarily like or agree with Brown and Lowman. But both said you have to respect them, and give them what they've earned. "Anybody that says the whole town is turning cartwheels and rejoicing, that ain't true," Parker said. "I know that, and coach Brown knows that.

"But coach Brown is — and icon and legend is used too much — when you take the amount of young people that have enjoyed the amount of success, those numbers are staggering."

Fulbright, who has coached under Lowman for 13 years, talked about how Lowman has lived through the good times and the bad, from seeing for sale signs in his front yard to being cussed every Friday night. But he said through it all, those who care about Lowman are loyal. "He's like a second dad to me," Fulbright said. "If you go ask some of our guys who've gone on, they'll tell you the same thing. That's what coach Lowman means to everybody."

And while both assistants feel strongly about his own coach, they each feel just as strong about the other. "The same can be said about Randy Lowman (as I've said about coach Brown)," Parker said. "They're one of the premier 2A programs in the state, and that's because of Randy Lowman." Fulbright agreed. "I'll think it's a shame and disgrace if they don't both come back," he said. "What those two guys have done for those two communities — that's why."

While everyone waits on a decision — one wasn't made, although discussed, according to Parker, at a special closed-session meeting by the Board of Education on Friday — neither Brown nor Lowman are sitting idly. Parker said Brown has been doing "a lot of honeydew stuff" like working around the house and things outdoors, but said he's ready for things to return to normal and for the summer to get here. "He's restless," Parker said. "I think his batteries are recharged. The last time I talked to him, he was really excited about the possibility of getting back into football."

So is Lowman.

Fulbright said Lowman has been passing the time by riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle, and spending time with his grandchild, but that "he's ready to get back to work."

Still, neither Fulbright nor Parker will rest until the old ball coaches return. They also won't rest if the decision to not re-hire the two is made. "If anybody is not convinced that Tom Brown is not the main cog in (Maiden's success), then they don't know the game," Parker said.

"When you think of Maiden, you think of Tom Brown. When you think of Bandys, you think of Randy Lowman. What they've done for those kids, and what they've done for those schools and those communities, it's amazing," Fulbright said.

"Whoever says no to Randy, and to Tom, they don't care about Bandys High School, they don't care about Maiden, and definitely don't care about the kids."